Category Archives: reality tv

July 12, 2023 – Brook Confesses To Chase, More Of the Same But In Montana & Rock

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What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)

General Hospital

Chase takes statements at the pool, while Brook tells Tracy that she can’t get her anything else. The Deception crew is watching her very closely. Chase comes over and says, sorry if he’s interrupting, but Brook says, he’s not. He says, that’s not how it looked.

Willow wakes up from her nap, and Michael takes her temperature with a forehead thermometer. She asks if she doesn’t get a kiss first, and he says, that’s coming. She’s good. No fever. He kisses her, and she asks if that coffee’s for her. He says, it is, and she says, the smell of Corinthos Coffee probably woke her up. She asks how long she’s been asleep, and he says, her morning nap almost turned into an afternoon siesta. She says, best sleep she’s had in weeks. Being home is… healing. Although she still feels like she’s dreaming. He says, there’s only one way to be sure, and kisses her again.

Popping out from behind a rack of clothing, Sasha tells Maxie, that sun dress she tried on complements her eyes. She should totally get it. Maxie says, so did that top Sasha tried on. It didn’t seem like her style though. Sasha says her old style belongs to another life. When her guardianship ends, she needs to send a statement to the world. This is Sasha 2.0.

Gladys runs out from the back of The Savoy, Montague following her, and she says, this calls for champagne. He asks if they shouldn’t get some orange juice to justify the early hour, but she says, no. She can’t believe how much energy she has after playing all night. Selina comes out and says, it’s the adrenaline rush. Winning will do that. Congratulations to them both. Gladys says she knows one win won’t make them square, but she can pay Selina an installment today. Selina says, champagne is on her. Enjoy their win. Gladys says, it’s like lightning in a bottle, when Cody comes out, and Selina says, except lightning isn’t supposed to strike twice.

Outside an office, Felicia asks if Lucy is clear on the plan, and Lucy says she is. She’s to keep the lawyer occupied, busy enough so Felicia can have the proper snoop. She does have one question. Why did Felicia have her get all glammed up when the lawyer is probably some short, stodgy, boring bifocaled attorney? Felicia says, the charm offensive is tried and true. Would Lucy rather she be the honey trap? Lucy says she’s better suited to it, as Felicia knows. She just hopes they can find out what Martin’s hiding from her.

Anna takes the police tape down from the unoccupied room at the MetroCourt, and slips inside. She looks around, then looks out the window. She hears someone coming.

Michael tells Willow that he’s missed this. It’s been torture not being close to her. They kiss, and he asks, what’s wrong? She says, unfortunately, the torture isn’t quite over.

Montague pops the champagne, and Gladys squeals. Cody sits with Selina, and says he doesn’t know what happened. It must have been an off night. She asks if he has any idea how much money he’s cost her, but he says he’s better at counting cards than counting losses. She says, from where she stands, he’s a failure at both. His job is to always get her a profit. He says he’s sorry, but she says she hired him expressly to avoid large payouts to players, yet they’ve operated at a loss two games in a row. He can’t afford the luxury of off nights, and if she has to pay, so must he.

Gladys says, finally, it feels like her luck is changing, and clinks her glass against Montague’s. He says, with her daughter-in-law on his new drug regimen, her good luck has no end in sight.

Sasha holds up a couple of tops, and tosses them aside. She picks up a tiny lacy camisole, and asks Maxie, what about this one? Maxie says, wow. That’ll certainly send a statement to the world. Sasha says, and to think she spent the last year praying the press would ignore her. She guesses she’s ready for them to sit up and take notice again. Maxie says, now for something more comfy and PG rated, and takes down a pair of pants from the rack. These are a little short for Sasha, doesn’t she think? Sasha says, they’re not for her. She had Logan’s personal shopper select a few items in Willow’s size; comfortable, mommy dear, but still lovely. Like Willow. Maxie says, that’s thoughtful of her, and Sasha says, she sounds surprised, but Maxie says, more like in awe. If being a great friend had any sway on the judge, he’d grant her petition without a second thought.

Chase says, it seems like every time he sees Brook and Tracy, they have their heads together, and Brook says she pleads the fifth. Tracy asks if a woman can’t spend time with her granddaughter, and Chase says, at ease, ladies. This isn’t an interrogation, just an observation. He’s just happy to see Brook. How is she holding up after last night? Brook says she was just catching grandmother up on the shooting, and how he saved the day. Chase says he was just doing his job, and she says, nobody does it better. She admires his passion and commitment. He tells her that he could say the same about her, the way she feels about music, but she gave that up to go back to work at Deception.

The hotel room door opens, and Anna clocks the person coming in. They fall to the ground, and Anna says, it’s you? Martin says, ow! What the hell is wrong with her? Has anybody ever told her that for such a little thing, she packs a ridiculously big punch? She says, yes, all the time. He’ll find out what else she’s packing if he doesn’t tell her what he’s doing here.

Willow says, yesterday, when Michael stepped out to get her discharge, the oncology nurse went over Terry’s instructions with her in more depth. As he knows, there are a lot of dos and don’ts. He says he knows. He fell asleep reading the packet last night. He’s got the food and medication schedule, and visitor protocol down, but he’ll make time to finish the rest of the packet today. She says she’s sure he will. He’s barely had time to get anything done. He’s already done so much to make her homecoming smooth. He says, what else would he do? and she says, he’s incredible. He does nothing but think of her, and he’s sacrificed so much for her already. She hates having to ask him to sacrifice longer. Because he’s dense, he asks what she’s talking about. What did the nurse say? She says, that they can’t make love.

Martin struggles to get up, and Anna asks how he got a keycard for this room. He says, probably the same way she did, and she says, that’s doubtful. Was he following her? He says, no, not really… kinda, sort of… All right. Fine. Just give him a minute. She does know this hurts, right? Somehow, Valentin got word about the shooting, and reached back to him. Valentin was worried about her, and wanted him to check on her. He was on his way out and over to her place, when he saw her crossing the lobby. She says, he was following her. She didn’t notice that. She must be slipping. He says he’d say she’s still got it, based on the amount of pain coming from his face. That’s his story. Why did she cross the police tape? What in the hell is she looking for? She says she’s sure the PCPD did a thorough job, but she just wanted to check for herself. This is where they found the rifle the sniper used. He says, and that’s of what interest to her?

Felicia and Lucy walk into Jackson Montgomery’s office, and Felicia tells his assistant Cheyenne that they’re here for their appointment. Cheyenne tells Jack that his 10 am is here, and he comes out and introduces himself. Felicia introduces herself, and says, they spoke on the phone. This is her sister Lucy Martin. He says he’s so sorry for her loss, calling Lucy Mrs. Martin, and she holds out her hand, thanking him and asking him to call her Lucy. This little affair with her husband’s estate is very confusing for her. She’s never lived in Pennsylvania, but he did for quite a while… with his other family. Jack says he sees how that could complicate matters. Why don’t they go into his office and see if they can untangle this a bit? Felicia says she’ll wait out here, and Lucy goes into Jack’s office with him. Felica eyeballs the file cabinet.

Sasha takes a top off a hanger, and says, once Willow can get out again, this would be perfect for a romantic outing with Michael. Maxie says, yeah – she looks at the price tag – or she could sell it and take that overdue trip to Paris. Sasha says, Willow would never spend this amount of money on herself, but she deserves a whole new wardrobe for her new chapter. Maxie says, it’s beautiful. She’ll love it. She’d be happy to contribute. Sasha says, it’s incredible. Her friend has all new DNA. It’s like she’s been reborn. She presses the top to her face, and Maxie says, she’s very philosophical today. What’s up with that? Sasha says her court appointed shrink prescribed something that totally revolutionized her approach to wellness. I’ll have what she’s having.

Cody says, as much as he’d like to, he can’t cover Selina’s losses, and she says, last night she received bad news about the proprietor of this establishment, a man she’s fond of. Cody says, N’neka informed him about Curtis and the shooting, and she says, and his incompetence only compounded her distress. He says he’s sorry, and he completely understands if she no longer wants to retain his services.

Tracy asks if Chase doesn’t think her granddaughter is committed to her job at Deception, and he asks if he can speak to his girlfriend in private. They make a mean iced cappuccino at the bar. Tracy says, that sounds dreadful. Why would anybody want to add ice to a perfectly good cappuccino? But she’ll leave, since apparently that’s what he wants her to do. She strides off, and Brook says, that was impressive. There aren’t many people granny will listen to. He asks why she always seems so tense around Tracy, and she says, it’s complicated. He says he knows Tracy wants her to have a career to fall back on, but all she needs is her talent. Don’t let Tracy, Linc, or any of her other personal demons make her doubt her talent. She takes his hands, and says she loves how much confidence he has in her. He says, unlike Tracy? Is Tracy pressuring her? She says, leave it, but he says, not if her grandmother is making her unhappy. Brook says, Tracy doesn’t care if she doesn’t want to work at Deception, and he says, then why not tell her to back off? Brook says, because Tracy put her up to it.

Willow says, they can cuddle and caress, but they have to put sex on hold. She’s so sorry. They didn’t even get a chance to consummate their marriage, and she’s making him wait even longer. He says, she’s not making him do anything. This is about her health. He’s not upset or surprised about it. She tells him that she knew he’d say that. He can tell her if he’s disappointed. He says, what’s disappointing is coming home to an empty house. Or telling Wiley, I don’t know, when he asks when she’s coming home. Imagining a life without her. Which is why, no matter how many times she’s brought up the subject, he’s never wanted to talk about it. He’ll do whatever it takes to make sure she’s home to stay with him and their family. She says, but what if it takes a while? She says she wants him. She’s disappointed they can’t be intimate like they used to. He says, first of all, hold that thought, and second of all, she does have him. And when she’s healthy and ready… She says she’ll definitely be ready, and he says, there you go, kissing her.

As she looks around, Anna says, Martin may or may not know this, but she’s currently unemployed. She was hoping she could be a little useful. He says, call it a hunch, but he suspects Valentin wouldn’t be too thrilled if he found out she was putting herself at risk. She makes a frustrated noise, and he says, what does she want? His client cares about her. He misses her. Anna says, she misses him too, obviously, and Martin says, it might come as a shock, but as demanding as the man can be, he does too. He’s with Laura, who’s his closest confidant, and they’re both on the other side of the world, just when he needs them most. She asks, why? What’s wrong? He says, wait a minute. She’s a woman. She says, can’t get anything past him, and he says, and she’s close with Lucy. She says she’s been in close proximity with Lucy for extended periods of time, but he says, it’s about Lucy. Anna’s good with riddles, so maybe she can help him with one. An unexpected, unmistakable chill suddenly came between them, and he for one, wonders why.

Felicia looks at Jack’s awards and diplomas, and says, impressive. She tells Cheyenne, if she needs to pop out for any reason, don’t mind her. If she needs to overnight something or if she wants to take an early lunch, it will be their little secret. Cheyenne says, it’s not even 11 am, when Jack comes out and asks if she can run around the corner to the gourmet coffee shop and get Mrs. Martin some coffee. Cheyenne says she’ll make a fresh pot, but Jack says, Mrs. Martin has a very particular coffee order. It would probably be best if she just went out and got it. He hands her a paper, and asks if he can get Felicia anything. Felicia says she’d love a latte, and he says, a latte it is, and tells Cheyenne to get something for herself. Lucy calls out, don’t forget her cinnamon, and Felicia says, her sister takes her coffee very seriously. Cheyenne leaves, and Felicia checks a file cabinet, but all the drawers are locked.

Selina says, letting Cody go doesn’t solve her problems. She still needs a reliable ringer. He says, clearly that’s not him; not any longer. They had a good run, but he’d hate to let her down again. She says, then don’t.

At the bar, Gladys asks if Montague saw the look on his face when she pulled out that third Jack, and he chuckles. She lowers her voice, and says, those drugs Sasha’s taking, they aren’t dangerous, right? He says, not at all, and she says, good. She needs Sasha’s guardianship to stay in place a bit longer, but she does care about Sasha. He says he’s explained this before. The medication is harmless on its own. It’s the reaction with Sasha’s antidepressant that will create the behaviors Gladys wanted, none of which are life threatening. She’ll be off-kilter, foggy, prone to mood swings. Gladys asks, will that be enough? Will people even notice some simple side-effects? He says, trust him. People will notice.

Maxie asks, what exactly did Sasha’s doctor prescribe? and Sasha says, meditation. She just breathes. Maxie’s phone rings, and she says, it’s Georgie. She steps away to take the call, telling Georgie, stop yelling at her brother. Put her on speaker phone. She tells James to give his sister her journal back right now, and Sasha takes another dose of medication. Maxie says, don’t make her have to ask again, or call her again. Just so he knows, tonight, they’re having a talk when she gets home. She comes back and asks Sasha if meditation will help her with her squabbling children. Sasha says, even Zen has its limits, and Maxie says she’s going to have to give in and get a bigger place, where everyone has their own room. She loves her apartment, but it’s time to move on. Sasha says, that’s the spirit, draping a scarf around Maxie. Lean into possibility. Maxie says she’s going to lean into some real estate listings. She really needs to get back to her kids. Is Sasha good? Sasha says, yeah, and Maxie leaves, taking a last questioning look before she goes out the door.

Chase asks why Tracy is making Brook work at Deception, when Tracy comes back, and says, that’s between her and Brook. This coffee drink is not half bad. Lucky she’s open-minded. Chase says, it kind of sounds like there’s more to the story, and Tracy says she knows he’s trained to look for crimes everywhere, but this really doesn’t concern him. He says, it does if she’s exerting undue influence, and she says, undue, shmundue. She’s just compelling. Brook says, like the guillotine, and Tracy says, that’s enough. Brook says, she’s right. It is enough. She’s done jumping through Tracy’s hoops. Say this, not that. Work here, not there. Hide this… Chase says, hide what? and Tracy says, be careful. Chase says, Brook knows she can tell him anything, and Brook takes a deep breath. She says, months ago, she asked granny for a favor that concerned Chase, and she granted it. He asks, what favor could Tracy possibly do for him? and Tracy says, getting his badge back.

Cody stares at Gladys, and Selina asks if she has his attention. He says, sorry, and she says, the more he apologizes, the less it means. So is this funny business? An accomplished ringer who couldn’t lose suddenly can’t perform. She finds that odd. He says, happens to the best of us from time to time, and Selina nods to Li, who comes over to the table. She asks why Cody insists the best course of action is to dismiss him, after he recently pressed her to stay on. Is he trying to get fired?

Montague tells Gladys, if Sasha took the medication as prescribed, her body will have metabolized it, and its interaction with her antidepressant has already had an effect.

Michael opens the door, and Sasha says, surprise! She hopes they don’t mind her dropping by like this. That’s what they get for adding her to the approved guest list. Can she come in? He says, Willow will be happy to see her, and tells her that she has to wear a mask, handing one to her. She yells for Willow, who says, what a surprise. They keep their distance, yet both hold out their arms, and Sasha says, until we can do that, let’s close our eyes and reach out our hands and pretend to hug. Can she feel the embrace? Willow half-heartedly attempts this, but Sasha is obviously into it. Michael’s phone rings, and he steps outside to take the call.

Michael asks Josslyn, what’s up?… He’s just getting Willow settled. Why?… Oh my God. When?

Felicia goes through Cheyenne’s desk drawers and finds a ring of keys. She tries them on the file cabinet, and finally hits the right one.

Anna tells Martin, all right. She’ll bite. Describe this unmistakable chill between him and Lucy. They sit down, and Martin says, maybe chill’s the wrong word. More like a distancing, and he doesn’t like it. He’s not used to being kept at arm’s length. Usually, you can’t slip a ruler between… Anna holds up her hand, and says, visual, and he says, up to this point, he and Lucy have been on the same page with just about everything. And he means everything – vacation, family, home… The perfect evening, shaken, not stirred, true crime over sports, cake over pie, companionship over marriage… Anna says, stop right there. That’s his problem. The Lucy Coe she knows likes marriage. He says, she used to like marriage, but been there, done that, several times. As has he, and neither one of them is anxious to make the same mistake again. Anna says, is that what she told him? and he nods. Anna says, she doesn’t mean it. She’s exhaustively romantic. He says, Lucy insists she’s happy with things as they are, and she says, yet here they are, dissecting his relationship. Has marriage been brought up lately? He says, actually, yes, but they both said they’re not interested. Anna tells him, it’s one thing to say that to yourself, but it’s quite another thing when the man you love says, nope, it’s not happening.

Chase says, so Tracy orchestrated his rehiring. That’s how he got the CCRB meeting and his badge back. Tracy says, actually, all she did was get the Board back in the room. They made a decision based on the case he presented, so really, that’s all him. Brook says she cost him his badge, so she called the one person she knew who could help, and he says, and now that person is holding it over her head. Tracy says, hello?  That person is standing right here. He asks how Deception fits into all this, when his phone rings. He steps away to take the call, and Tracy asks if Brook is under the influence. Brook says, Tracy knows she doesn’t do drugs, but Tracy says she means truth serum. First, it’s her colleagues, now it’s with Chase. How long is this confessional going to go on? Brook says she has nothing left to confess. In the past, her relationship with Chase ended over secrets. Tracy says, no. Her relationship ended because she got caught. Brook says, Chase doesn’t want her to be perfect, just honest, and Tracy says, transparency leads to questions, which she’ll soon find out when Mr. Perfect gets off the phone. Chase comes back, and Brook asks if it was about the shooting. He says he can’t get into it right now, but he is going to need some answers from her.

Brook tells Chase that she didn’t want to say anything because she didn’t want to involve him, and he says he’s got to get back to work. Unfortunately, this is going to have to wait. Tracy says, work? As in the job she helped him get back? He says he owes her nothing, and neither does Brook. If Tracy is strongarming Brook into something unethical, he’s going to find out. Brook tells Chase that she’s so sorry. She’s so done with secrets. He says he has to go, and tells Tracy, this isn’t over. He heads for the exit, comes back, and kisses Brook, then leaves. Tracy rolls her eyes.

Felicia looks through the files. She takes one out that says Maquillage, but it’s empty, so she puts it back. She goes over to the credenza and looks through the drawers. She’s about to take a crack at a safe, when she hears Lucy saying she hasn’t been in Pine Valley in so long. It’s a shame The Chateau closed down. Jack says, the real shame is that he isn’t able to do much for her at this juncture, but it was a real pleasure to make her acquaintance. She says, and it was such a pleasure to make his, and he says, but she’s right. The Chateau was the gold standard in Pine Valley for many years, but he thinks she’ll enjoy this new restaurant he told her about. He’ll see her at 8. Lucy says she can’t wait, and Cheyenne comes in with the coffee, apologizing that it took so long. Lucy thanks her, and says she’ll take hers to go. She scoops up the coffee on her way out the door, and Felicia follows suit.

Martin says, so Anna is telling him that Lucy is angry because he doesn’t want to get married again, and she says she’d bet her career on it, but… He says, she doesn’t have one, and she says, yeah. He says, that doesn’t make any sense. Why would you put your head back in the lion’s mouth? Lucy’s heard all his horror stories, and knows his track record. Anna knows about it. She tried to blackmail him over it. She says, that’s bygones. She doesn’t think Lucy would ever compare herself to his exes. She thinks Lucy sees herself as someone entirely different. He says, she is entirely different. He’s never met anyone like Lucy before. She gets him. Anna says, then what’s the problem? Won’t he at least consider it? He says his mama is only going to walk him down the aisle so many times, and Anna says, make light of it if he wants, but buy himself a sweater. Because that chill he’s feeling from Lucy is liable to set in. She wants to amend something she said earlier about Lucy not comparing herself to his exes, because there is one area where she’s keeping score. And that is, he was willing to marry them, but refuses to take the plunge with her.

Sasha enthusiastically describes the clothing she bought for Willow, as she pulls it out of the shopping bag, and Willow tells her, slow down. She can’t keep up. Sasha thought of everything. Sasha says she just wants Willow’s homecoming to be perfect, and Willow says, just being with the people she cares about is perfect. Sasha gasps, pulling out another top, and asking, isn’t it exquisite? She suggests Willow try it on, but Willow says she shouldn’t. She has to wash or clean everything before she wears or uses it. She notices a security tag, and points it out to Sasha.

Cody asks Selina why he’d try to get fired. She pays him nightly more than he makes in months working with the horses. She asks, why continue with horses? and he says, they make him happy. She asks if he’s happy in her employ, and he says, who wouldn’t be? Right, Li? He holds up his hand for a high-five, but nothing. Selina says, there is one way to find out if that’s true, and asks Li to bring the cards used in tonight’s game.

Brook lies down on the chaise, and Tracy says, Chase isn’t the only one with work responsibilities. Doesn’t Brook have someplace to be? Brook says, nope. Chase now knows Tracy helped get him reinstated at the PCPD. Tracy says, so? and Brook says, so Tracy no longer has any leverage over her. The sun is out. The pool awaits. And today seems like a wonderful day to resign from Deception… again. Tracy says, Brook is forgetting something. She committed corporate espionage. What would her pious policeman think about that?

Anna says her advice to Martin is very simple; just be honest with Lucy. Share his frustrations about marriage. He says he has; she’s heard them all. Anna says, no. She’s heard him bitching about his ex-wives. He has to figure out if this has translated into an institutionalized phobia. Tell Lucy his fears. But before he does that, he needs to be very honest with himself. Is he worried that it’s too soon? Is he concerned about compatibility? Is he afraid of failing again? Or is it something else? He says, it may be too soon. God knows they’re compatible. Yes, all of the above; frightened, concerned, afraid. He hates to commit again, and then fail again. She smiles, and he says, what? She says, he forgot the something else. Because there is another reason, isn’t there?

Down the hall, Lucy asks how she did. Did Felicia have enough time? Did she get anything? Felicia asks if Lucy made a date with the man she spent the last hour lying to, and Lucy says, good point. It usually takes her half the time. She’s slipping. It must be trauma from that whole Victor thing. She sips her coffee, and says, she told him no whipped milk. Felicia gets her attention, and Lucy says, maybe she did make a date, per se. Felicia says, remember what happened when she went rogue with Victor? Spending more time with Jackson Montgomery opens them up to exposure. Lucy says, okay. Did Felicia get anything? She doesn’t see anything. Did she get a file? Lucy doesn’t see a file. Did she find a flashdrive? What did she get? Felicia says, no. She got nothing. The assistant was glued to her desk. By the way, that was a brilliant gambit of Lucy’s, ordering coffee. Lucy thanks her and says, Anna Devane eat your heart out. Felicia says, making the order more complicated was a stroke of genius, and Lucy says, it was all part of her plan. Felicia says she needs to continue to search. And she thinks she knows where. The Maquillage file wasn’t with the other documents, but she thinks it’s in that safe. She bets if she can get into it, she can find that file, and they can find out what Martin’s been hiding. Lucy asks if Felicia can really crack a safe, and Felicia says she has skills. So she guesses it’s a good thing that Jackson will be otherwise occupied tonight at 8. They clink their to-go cups.

Martin says he doesn’t know what Anna’s talking about. All the reasons she listed, besides compatibility, are perfectly valid. And legitimately good reasons not to want to get married again. Anna asks, what about the giant one in particular? The one that hasn’t been listed? The one she found out when she knew about his three ex-wives. Because one of them is so different from the others, isn’t she? He says, number three. She’s far more sadistic. Anna says, and rich. She’s the only one he doesn’t pay alimony to. In fact, she pays him, a cool 50K a month. And if he remarries, his ex-wife is going to cut him off, and that’s what this is really all about, isn’t it? He can either marry Lucy, or ride the gravy train, but he can’t do both. And what he can’t tell Lucy is that he’s already made his choice.

Montague says he has to catch some winks before his next session. He’ll see Gladys at Sasha’s next session. He believes he’ll have a lot to report to the judge. He leaves, and Cody tells Selina that Gladys is up to something. Selina says, his chance to come clean is over when Li returns. Li comes back with the cards, and gives them to Selina. Cody says, give him a chance to explain. It won’t happen again. She says, no, it won’t, and looks through the cards. She holds up a card, and says, white ink, but he swears he didn’t know where that came from. She says something to Li, who grabs Cody and frisks him. He pulls a small ink bottle out of Cody’s boot, and Cody says he can explain, but Selina says, there’s no need. It’s evident what happened here. Cody threw her game.

Sasha says, so much for being perfect, putting the top back into the bag. She’ll have to return it to the store to have the tag removed. Willow tells her, don’t worry about it, and Michael says, Chase is here. Willow says, the more the merrier, and Chase says, it’s good to see her outside the isolation room. She says, tell her about it, and he asks to talk to Sasha. Sasha tells him to hold on a second, and pulls the top out again, telling Michael that it’s for him to take Willow someplace nice, like a sunset cruise. Chase tries to get her attention, and she tells him, wait, but he says, this can’t wait. She’s under arrest.

Tomorrow, Sasha says, lawyers are for guilty people; Sam asks Gladys what that woman has on her; Sonny’s not going to rest until he finds out; and Curtis’s surgeon calls for a crash cart.

🍊 The Real Housewives of Orange County were still inflicting themselves on Montana, and Gina was still bawling about Jenn’s infidelity. Or Ryan’s. Or both of them. In her interview, she said there were a lot of triggers all over for her. Like how recently she’d gone to a church wedding, and she’d gotten married in a church. Pretty soon it’s going to be, people were breathing, and Matt breaths. As much as I hate agreeing with Fancy Pants, this girl needs therapy. Tamra said, if she didn’t care about Jenn, she wouldn’t have announced the whole world that Jenn’s boyfriend is a lying liar who lies. Again, as with Fancy Pants, it’s not what she says, but the way she says it. And when. To Fancy Pant Heather’s credit, she did bring weed for the whole class. Instead of in tents, they slept in a 9500 square foot villa, and got more stoned.

In the morning there was a choice between fly fishing or white-water rafting. On the phone, Jenn cried to Ryan that Tamra hit below the belt. Apparently, she doesn’t know Tamra and has never watched this show. In Jenn’s interview, she said she’d decided to wait until she and Ryan were face to face before confronting him with wanting to hit on Tamra. Shannon, Gina, and Fancy Pants went fishing, while the rest rafted. In her interview, Fancy Pants said, diction should be taught in Montana since she confused the word waders with waiters. Go home, Fancy Pants! You’d think being a fitness enthusiast, Tamra wouldn’t have screeched quite so loudly during the rafting expedition. There was a lot of screaming and such coming from the fishing group as well, but I’m not sure why. Fancy Pants said, cowgirl is hard, so maybe that’s it. There was also quite a to-do over the rafting guide’s shorts having a peek-a-boo issue.

There was a candlelight dinner outside where they talked highs and lows, and Shannon got all misty about reconnecting with Tamra. Fancy Pants pretended shoveling sh*t was her high because it reminded her about how hard people work. Her low was how left out she was when Tamra and Shannon reconnected. She whined about them not inviting her to their PJ party of two, but in Tamra’s interview, she called bullsh*t, and Shannon wondered how much attention she needed. Shannon thought Fancy Pants saw it as a competition, and made a mini speech about how she and Tamra had been through so much, and she never thought this day would come when they’d be sitting together again.

Fancy Pants said she was sorry she’d shared, and in her interview, she said, it wasn’t like it was an isolated incident. We flashed back to her being a third wheel a bunch of times, and she said, they’re friends again and she’s nowhere. Taylor thanked Fancy Pants for helping her with her acting skills, and Heather somehow made that into a bad thing. Jenn felt badly about being a trigger for Gina, who got weepy all over again. Fancy Pants had to ask how much longer Travis was going to put up with this endless cycle, and Gina said he wasn’t putting up with anything; she was a human and these were her feelings. In her interview, Gina questioned whether Heather was really her friend.

Back in the OC, the gym was over with, but Tamra said she and Eddie had a successful THC product business. She told Eddie about Ryan saying he wanted to f*** her, and Eddie said, Ryan’s friends told him that he likes to prey on married women. Tamra said he’d cheated on Jenn already, and in Tamra’s interview, she said it reminded her of Vicki and Brooks. I didn’t see that, but it gave a good reason to flash back to those two morons.

Annabelle had her first modeling job, and Emily was concerned about getting to the point where Annabelle would say, have Emily’s people call her people. As a mom she felt it was her job to make sure her kids were happy and able to pursue their dreams. Sounds reasonable. She should probably escape now. Jenn told Ryan about what Tamra had said, as a Golden Retriever with a sad expression watched. Jenn said she, Tamra, and a different Heather, not Fancy Pants, had been friends. Heather stirred the pot, spreading rumors about Ryan, Jenn started to question Ryan, and they all parted ways. Ryan was all deny, deny, deny, and in Jenn’s interview, she said, if Tamra wanted to talk to her, Tamra needed to come to her and not announce it to the group. Can’t blame her there.

Gina told Travis that she’d thought it would be a nice getaway and relaxing. Seriously? She hasn’t been on one of these girls trips before? In her interview, she said she was mad at Fancy Pants. She had few close friendships, and had let Heather in. She told Travis about how Heather took her phone when she wanted to call him, but didn’t even bother checking in later because she was hanging with Tamra. Gina asked if she shouldn’t talk to him, but Travis said it was his job in the relationship. I was distracted by his beard/moustache combo that looks painted on, and in his interview, he said he was her person, and they were there to help each other. Frankly, I think Gina is taking this way too personally, since Fancy Pants is also Bossy Pants. She just likes to control everything. Do as my father told me. Smile, nod, then do what you want.

Next time, a boat ride; Emily tries to talk sense to Heather; Tamra throws a napkin at Jenn, and screams that Jenn should leave her boyfriend. At a restaurant.

 🦙 Off To Count Llamas…

Come see me for a dose of soap and tea tomorrow. Until then, stay safe, stay not worrying about tomorrow’s problems today, and stay leaning into possibility. (Hey, just because Sasha’s high doesn’t mean she can’t have a good idea.)

July 11, 2023 – Curtis Is Taken Into Surgery, Two Losses, Even Longer, Je M’appelle Daryl, City News, Birthday Bubbles & Hair

Standard

What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)

General Hospital

Gabe says he made sure Brook got home safe and sound. Now he’s taking Sonny home. But Sonny says he’s not going anywhere until he gets an update from Dex at GH. He asks if Anna is ready to go home, but she says she can’t stop thinking about Curtis. It’s the worst that he was caught in the middle of all of this. The shooter was aiming at either her or Sonny, and Curtis got in the way.

Esme puts her hand on Spencer’s shoulder, and says she really appreciates him taking these parenting classes with her. He says he did it for his little brother. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for Ace. From the doorway, Josslyn – who is starting to annoy me to no end – says, what’s this? Hanging out after class?

Outside, Finn says, Elizabeth did great tonight, and she says she learned from the best. Epiphany always told her that she needed to compartmentalize. Put her fears and doubts aside, and just do her job. Finn says, Epiphany would have been really proud of Elizabeth. The way she stayed focused on her patient despite all the chaos, not knowing if the shooter was going to shoot again. She helped keep Curtis alive. She says, they did it together, and he says, they did, didn’t they?

At the Bistro, Stella says she’s glad she could join Marshall tonight. And for once, they’re not squabbling about the check – he’s paying. She laughs, and he says, his pleasure. It’s been a long time since they had a night out, just the two of them. She says she agrees. Even after all these years, there’s only one thing that would make it better, and that’s if there were three of them. He takes her hand and says he knows. She’s thinking about her sister Irene. Not a day goes by he doesn’t miss her. She says, Irene was so full of life, just like Curtis.

The doctor comes out and Trina says, Curtis is going to make it, isn’t he? Tell her. Portia says, she’s in shock. The doctors and nurses are doing everything they can to help Curtis. The doctor says, that’s right. He called in Dr. Barnsole, the neurosurgeon. He’s on his way. He leaves, and Portia tells Trina that she’s worked with him before. He’s the very best at what he does. Trina says, what if something goes wrong? The surgery is complicated, and the bullet is lodged near his spine. He could be paralyzed. Portia says, yes, there is a risk, but because Curtis is unconscious, he can’t speak for himself. They have to speak for him. And the Curtis Ashford she knows would do anything to be with the people he loves. Anything. She and Trina hug.

Trina says she knows Portia has Curtis’s best interest at heart, and trusts her judgement, and Portia says, it means so much to her that Trina has faith in her. The doctor gets Portia’s attention, and Portia says she has Curtis’s family’s blessing, do everything they can to save Curtis’s life… no matter the risk. The doctor says, they will, and leaves. Portia says, Trina’s so strong, but Trina says, honestly, she doesn’t feel so strong. She’s so scared. Portia says she’s so scared too, and holds Trina.

Stella says, if Irene were here, she’d tell them, don’t dwell on the past; look to the future. Marshall says, amazing, isn’t it? He came here looking for a son and found a whole family. He gets a faraway look, and she says, everything was good at Curtis’s birthday party. Has something changed? He says, it seems Curtis and Portia are still working it out, and she says, what about him? Does he think she doesn’t know what losing Epiphany Johnson meant to him? She got a chance to know Epiphany; she was a fine woman. They even hung out a little bit at Curtis’s nightclub. She cared about Marshall, and he doesn’t have to tell her the feeling wasn’t mutual, because she knows better. He says he has this memory… Just before Epiphany was going off to take her MCATs, she kissed him, and that kiss, that one kiss, is going to have to last him forever. Stella says she’s so sorry. Does he think it would help if he talked to somebody? A professional maybe, a shrink? He says he already has.

Esme says she didn’t see Josslyn there, and Josslyn says, obviously. She tells Spencer that his girlfriend’s downstairs, and he asks if something’s wrong. She says, Trina’s dad Curtis was shot tonight.

Elizabeth tells Finn that she doesn’t understand why someone would take a shot at Curtis. He left that world behind him when he traded in his P.I. license for The Savoy. Does Finn think an enemy from the past followed him? Finn says he talked to Dante for a moment at the scene. There were three shots fired, and he thinks Curtis was hit by a ricochet of one of them. She says, so he wasn’t the intended target? and Finn says, seems that way. She says, in a way, that only makes it worse, the randomness of it. If either of them had been at the pool instead of the restaurant… They both say, it could have been you, in unison.

Anna tells Sonny that it’s no secret her past has caught up with her. She should have taken someone spray painting murderer on her door more seriously. She just wanted to believe it was a teenage prank. Maybe it wasn’t. Maybe it was a warning of things to come. He says, three shots at long range lacks a personal touch, and she says, he’s right. It’s military procedure; not exactly his world, is it? She knows he and Valentin have gone into some business venture together, which Valentin hasn’t told her anything about. She didn’t press, but she didn’t think it was charitable work. Is that what this shooting’s been about? Nina runs in, and says she came as soon as she heard about the shooting. Thank God they’re okay. Sonny says, there was a shooting, but she needs to go home, and Nina says, absolutely not. This is her hotel. How would it look to her staff and her guests if she just went and hid? Her presence helps send a message that things are safe here. Besides, she’s not going anywhere until she finds out if anyone was hurt. Sonny says, somebody was hurt, and she asks, who was it? Please, just tell her. He says, it was Curtis.

Nina says, Curtis was shot? My God, is he all right? Anna says, Finn and Elizabeth were here. They were able to help him until the paramedics got here. Sonny says, they rushed him to GH. They’re just waiting for an update. Nina asks, how bad is it? and Anna says, he was hit in the back. Nina asks if anyone else was hurt, but Sonny says, no one else was hurt. She says she’s grateful for that, but who would shoot Curtis? Was it someone from his past with a score to settle? If Sonny knows anything, he doesn’t have to protect her; just tell her. Anna says, it’s just conjecture at this point… and Sonny says, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. That’s it. Nina says, so someone else was the target. Did they mean to finish what they started and try to kill Sonny? Is that it?

Elizabeth tells Finn that she knows life is fragile. You pretty much learn that the first day in nursing school if you didn’t already know it. Finn says, there’s death at GH every week, in all its forms. Sometimes it’s a shock. Other times, it’s almost a relief when you see a patient struggling with a longtime disease. In med school, they teach that you have to build an armor against it. Because if you don’t do that, you can’t do your job. She says, until it’s someone you know, someone you care about… and he says, they all wake up thinking they have all the time in the world, but they don’t. Tonight taught them that they shouldn’t waste a single second.

Stella says she’s so proud of Marshall for seeking help. Did talking to the therapist give him closure; help him deal with the pain about Epiphany? He says, it helped to talk about it, but then things got even more personal, and she says, he doesn’t have to tell her if he doesn’t want to. He asks if he hasn’t kept enough things locked up inside of him, and she asks if he talked about his diagnosis from back in the day. He says, yeah. He’s been off of his meds long enough that he has a sense of his behavior and biochemistry and all that. Stella asks if the psychiatrist agreed with Portia. Is there any chance Marshall was misdiagnosed with schizophrenia over 40 years ago? He says, there’s more than a chance. It seems almost certain it was something else.

Josslyn tells Spencer that Trina is on the first floor near the trauma room, and he jets, telling Esme to call a Ride Share to get Ace and get home. Esme starts to get her stuff together, and Josslyn asks where she’s going. They’re going to have a little chat.

Trina tells Portia that she can’t believe she just found out Curtis is her father, only to maybe lose him. It doesn’t feel right. Portia tells her, no one said she’s going to lose him. She can’t think like that. She has to think positive thoughts. Trina says, Portia doesn’t have to be brave for her benefit. She just told Trina that she was terrified. Portia says she is terrified, but she also has hope. Trina’s father’s a strong man, and as much as Trina wants him in her life, Portia knows he wants to be there for Trina. Spencer comes out of the elevator, and Trina runs to him. He holds her as Dex watches from across the room.

Esme says she doesn’t think she and Josslyn have anything to talk about, but Josslyn says, that’s where she’s wrong. Spencer might have done his part for his little brother, coming with Esme to parenting class, but right now, Trina’s going through hell, and he needs to be with her. I love how she’s talking like there was some argument about this. Are we watching the same show? Esme says, then it’s lucky for Trina that Josslyn knew where to find them. Does she stalk all her friends? Josslyn says, it’s not luck actually. Her grandma runs all of the educational classes here at GH. She told Josslyn that Spencer was in this class. She thinks it’s a good thing she showed up when she did. Esme heads for the door, and Josslyn says she’s onto Esme. Esme asks what that means, and Josslyn says, it means she saw that tender little moment between Esme and Spencer. What was that? Your homework? Did the instructor tell her to get closer with Ace’s brother after class? Esme says, that tender moment Josslyn thinks she saw was just her thanking Spencer for coming to a class he didn’t want to go to. That is all. Josslyn says she saw exactly how Esme thanked him, and Esme says, look. She’s apologized to Josslyn, but that is who she was. She’s not that person anymore. Josslyn says, that’s not good enough. Esme took things from her that she can never get back, and Esme has yet to pay for them. Esme says she’s so sorry, but she doesn’t know what Josslyn expects her to do in order to believe her. Josslyn says, she can turn herself in.

Stella says, so if the psychiatrist thought Marshall was wrongfully diagnosed all those years ago with schizophrenia, did he say what he thought was really wrong with Marshall? Marshall says, of course (🍷) not. All he said was he didn’t want to speculate without reading the original file that was written by whoever diagnosed him 40 years ago, back before computers even documented everything. Even if he was able to track down a hard copy of the file, he already thinks he knows what would be in that file. She asks if he’s thinking it’s what led Portia to the same conclusion, and he says, bingo. Her phone rings, and she says, Portia. Hey. She’s in the middle of something. Can she call Portia back? Portia says she’s sorry, but this can’t wait. She’s been trying to get ahold of Marshall and she’s not getting a response. Does Stella happen to know where he is? Stella says she’s sitting with him at the Haven Bistro. What’s wrong? Portia says, Curtis has been shot, and Stella says, oh dear God. Portia says she’ll tell Stella everything when she gets to GH. They’re about to take him to surgery. Stella says, they’re on their way, and Marshall asks where they’re going. She says, pray for Curtis and come with her, and they jet.

Elizabeth tells Finn that she was working on adrenaline tonight. After they took Curtis away and the job was done, all she wanted was to be with Finn. And to see his face and hold his hand, and know that he was out of danger. He says he felt the same thing. He just wanted her to be okay. He learned the hard way, life isn’t always fair. Sometimes it’s cruel, and bad things happen to really good people. She says, sometimes good people do bad things, and he says, they’ve all made mistakes. They can’t help beating themselves up about bad decisions they made five minutes ago in their past. Either can move past them or… She says, or what? and Finn says, or they have to courage to admit they weren’t just mistakes. They were failures, and they’re brave enough to move on. Maybe a little bruised, but not beaten, and hopefully a helluva lot smarter.

Sonny tells Nina that he’s got his share of enemies, but there’s no reason to believe that he’s the shooter’s target. Anna says, it could have just as easily been someone aiming at her, and Nina says, Anna risked her life bringing Aunt Liesl home in time to save Willow. Does she really think there are people still out there who are loyal to Victor Cassadine? Anna says, the mercenaries who were on his payroll, no. She doubts any of them would care to honor his memory by seeking revenge. But now that her sordid past has been publicized around the world, it’s likely it’s someone from her past looking for payback. Sonny’s phone rings, and he steps away. He asks Dex if there’s any news, and Dex says, Curtis is hanging in there. The bullet is lodged in his spinal cord, so there’s a lot of concern about that. They just wheeled him into the OR for surgery. Sonny says, anything else? and Dex says he’s not a doctor, but from his battlefield experience, it feels like the odds are stacked against Curtis. Sonny asks if Josslyn is with Trina, and Dex says, yeah. She’s here at the hospital. Sonny tells him to stick close to Josslyn, and call him if anything changes. He goes back to Anna and Nina, and says, what they know right now is, Curtis is alive and they’re going to take him to surgery. Anna says, that’s good news, and Nina says, it is, but the way Sonny said that was like there’s bad news too. And she doesn’t have to guess what that is, does she?

Curtis is wheeled past Trina and Spencer, and Portia runs out. The doctor says, they’re taking Curtis up to surgery. They’re going to do everything they can. Portia says she knows they will, and everyone wastes time looking at Curtis for a moment before he’s wheeled into the elevator.

Esme says, and people tell her that she’s the dangerous one, and Josslyn says, when you hurt someone the way Esme hurt her, they pay for it. She learned that from her family. Esme asks, who taught her that? Her ex-stepdad, the mob boss? Josslyn says she’s here to protect her friend Trina. No more, no less. Esme doesn’t have any friends, so she can see why Esme would have trouble understanding that. Esme says she doesn’t know if Spencer considers her a friend or not, but he is Ace’s brother. And because Nikolas decided to skip town, Spencer has been helping her with Ace, and she appreciates that, but that’s all he is to her. No more, no less. Josslyn says, that might convince some people, and Esme says, it should; it’s the truth. She knows all of the lies she allegedly told Josslyn, but this isn’t one of them, and she isn’t the old Esme. Josslyn says, then who is she? Because this is still abrasive, and she wonders which psychopath Esme inherited that from, Ryan or Heather? Esme says, how dare she? For real. Why is Josslyn being such an asshat?

Sonny tells Nina, all Dex said was, Curtis is being sent to surgery. They both know he’s a fighter, right? Nina says she has to get to the hospital, and he says he’ll have Gabe take her, while he… She says, he and Anna were witnesses. Maybe they can help the police track down whoever did this to Curtis. Sonny asks Frank to take Nina to the hospital, and Nina kisses him goodbye, leaving with Frank. Anna asks Sonny what Nina meant by someone finishing what they started, and he says, Nina always worries that he’s going to be in the line of fire. It just goes with the territory.

Spencer tells Trina, it’s going to be okay, and gets her to sit down. She says, he doesn’t know that, and he says, okay, he doesn’t. But until the doctors give them something to worry about, they need to stay positive. She and Curtis are cut from the same cloth. Look at the way she snuck onto the Haunted Star. She stared death right in the face. She survived everything Victor threw at her, and that was a lot. Where did that will to live come from if not from Curtis? She says, when they were in their darkest times and didn’t know if they were going to make it, she knew Curtis was fighting for her. He says, now it’s her turn to keep fighting for him, when Marshall and Stella come out of the elevator.

Marshall hugs Portia, and asks, where’s his son? Stella asks when they can see him, and Portia says, they took him to the OR just a little while ago, but the surgery is going to take some time. Stella says, when she got the call, she was hoping she could see him, because she never got a chance to tell him how very much… She breaks down crying, and Marshall hugs them both. Portia says, he knows. Don’t ask her how, but he knows.

Elizabeth tells Finn, that makes her think about when she used to take the boys to the park. She remembers when each of them was finally big enough to jump off the high dive. They were fearless because they’d never done it before. But after that first time, especially if they belly flopped, they knew jumping off was a risk. He says he knows that feeling. Standing up there, looking down, thinking about everything that could go wrong, thinking about how much it might hurt. She says, it takes a lot of courage to take that plunge a second time, and he says, kind of like how she confronted her parents after all those years. It was a risky thing to do, but she seemed pretty fearless to him. She says she guesses she was, and he says, so tell him, is she ready to take the plunge again? She says, is he?

Josslyn says, how dare she what? Esme took a shot at her ex, and she can’t say anything about Esme’s nutjob parents? She remembers the sociopath Esme was before she lost her memory. Dex walks in and asks if there’s a problem, but Josslyn says, nothing she can’t handle. Back to what really matters; how’s Curtis? Dex says, they’re taking him to the OR for surgery, and Josslyn says, so there’s a chance. He says, there’s always a chance, and Josslyn says, good. She’s so glad Trina has Spencer to lean on. Esme says she needs to go get her child and relieve the babysitter, but could Dex please tell Trina that she’s thinking good thoughts for her and her dad? She leaves, and Dex asks, what was that all about? And why is she asking him to deliver a message to Trina? Josslyn says, because Esme knew she wouldn’t do it. But she thinks she just caught a glimpse of the real Esme. Okay, so she’s supposed to be Josslyn’s punching bag if she’s not a sociopath? What I said before.

Stella hugs Trina, and says, it’s just so hard for her to wrap her head around. Curtis was shot by the MetroCourt pool. It just doesn’t seem real. Trina says she wishes it wasn’t. Curtis is the most alive person she knows. And to think… Stella says, no, don’t think it. Just sweep those negative thoughts out of her mind. He needs them to think good thoughts now. Trina has to think about how much life she has left to share with her father. Trina says, her father. She wishes she’d known that sooner. Stella says, she can’t change the past, but the fact is, Trina knows he’s her father now, and Curtis knows she’s his daughter. And if there’s any justice in the world, this isn’t the end of this journey; it’s just the start. Trina says she wishes she believed that, and Stella hugs her.

Marshall tells Portia that she doesn’t have to be Dr. Robinson right now; she’s just a part of this family… his family. He never knew how much that meant to him until right now. Nina comes out of the elevator and runs over to Portia. She hugs Portia, saying, she’s so sorry. She heard about Curtis. Portia thanks her for coming, but Nina says, Portia doesn’t have to thank her. She just needs to know that Curtis is going to be okay. Portia says, Nina knows Curtis, and she knows he’s not going out without a fight, and Nina says, that’s exactly right.

Anna says, Nina might have bought it, but Sonny can’t fool her. He’s on someone’s hitlist. He says he thought they had an unwritten rule; don’t ask, don’t tell. She says, oh, that rule, and he says he’s not going to ask her about the people who could be targeting her, and he’d want the same kind of courtesy. He motions Gabe over, and asks him to get the car. Gabe leaves, and Anna asks if it’s worth it, this life Sonny’s chosen, or the one that chose her. Every single choice they’ve ever made in their lives brought them to this moment; this moment tonight, this situation. From different directions obviously, but they have to face the same violent conclusion; that they always have to watch their backs. Sonny says, let him ask her a question. If she could turn back the clock and start over, would she do things differently? She thinks for a moment, and says she’s not sure. Would he?

Finn tells Elizabeth, tonight’s a reminder of just how precious life can be. Curtis didn’t go to the MetroCourt thinking he was going to get shot, and Portia never expected she was going to have to try and saved his life. None of them get promised another sunset, another sunrise. All he knows is, if they don’t take this chance, they might not get another one. She asks if he thinks they really can, and he says, you and me, make it work? He doesn’t know. All they can do is try. He kisses her.

When they come up for air, Elizabeth says she should go home to the boys, and Finn says, Violet’s probably talked the babysitter’s ear off at this point, and she’ll be waiting for him to read her a story before going to bed. Does Elizabeth have any plans for tomorrow night? She says, no, no plans, and he says, it’s funny. He doesn’t have any plans either. He could take her out. She says, they could stay in. She’d love to cook him dinner. Does he like lasagna? He says he loves lasagna. He’s sure anything she made would be amazing. She says, then she’ll surprise him, and they stroll out of the park.

Stella asks Portia why they haven’t been given any news. It seems like a long time since they’ve gotten an update. Trina says, Portia works there. Can’t she pull some strings or something? They know Curtis is in surgery, but they could be told something, like it’s going well, or it’s not going well. Why haven’t they been told anything? Portia says she knows Trina’s scared; they all are. But the most important thing to focus on right now is the surgery. Whatever they need to do to give Curtis the best possible care, that’s the priority. So the only thing they can really do right now is pray and be patient. Stella nods and walks off, and Spencer tells Portia, let him see what he can find out. His family still donates a great deal of money to this hospital… Portia says, this isn’t about his family or their money, and he says, she’s so right. He’s sorry. She thanks him, and says she knows he’s just trying to help. She follows Stella, and Spencer holds Trina as Esme comes out of the elevator. She goes over to Trina and says she just heard about Trina’s dad. She’s so sorry. Trina thanks her, and Esme says, she and Spencer were in this parenting class when Josslyn found them and broke the news. They were both devastated for her.

Josslyn says, let’s go, and Dex asks if she’s sure she’s okay. As long as he’s known her, she’s been pretty rock solid. He’s never seen someone get under her skin like that. (Did they just meet today?) She says, that’s what Esme does. She finds all of your buttons and presses every last one of them. He asks if she’s saying Esme is pretending to have amnesia, but Josslyn says she doesn’t know. Esme’s dad is Ryan Chamberlain, and her mom is Heather Webber, so… Even before they knew that, they knew she was a sociopath. She’s more convinced than ever that jealous, spiteful Esme is in her and just waiting to come back out.

Spencer says he thought Esme was heading home because she was so anxious about leaving Ace with the new babysitter for the first time. Esme says she just spoke to Melanie, who assured her that Ace is sleeping like a rock, but she’s headed home now. They seem preoccupied, but is there a message Spencer wants her to pass on to his little brother? Spencer says, just that he’ll be home soon, and he loves him. Thanks. She says, sounds good, and tells Trina, when she tucks Ace into bed tonight, she promises to say a prayer for her dad. She walks out, giving a last look to Spencer holding Trina.

Sonny tells Anna that he’s not the type of person who spends time second guessing. When he was washed up from that river, and ended up in Nixon Falls without a memory of who he was or what he did, he created a life for himself. Cowboy Mike, the bartender. He laughs, and says, then when he got his memory back, he still had a little piece of Mike inside his heart. But at the end of the day, he’s Sonny Corinthos mob boss. Love it or hate it, that’s the life he chose – or the one that chose him. Either way, it’s his life and he’s okay with it. She says she sees. She’s going to go home. He says he’d offer to get her a ride… She says, except he knows better, and he says, yeah, he does. She heads for the door, and he says, if she changes her mind, the offer still stands. She says she appreciates that, and tells him to take care.

Nina tells Portia, nobody loves their life as much as Curtis loves his. She knows this because he said those exact words. Portia asks if Nina minds telling her what he said, and Nina says, of course (🍷). They were talking a while back, and he said he loves running the nightclub – Marshall and Stella walk up – especially when his family can join him at night. When Portia and Trina go there to unwind after a long day at work and school. When his dad can be there – she takes Marshall’s hand – and join in the live music and maybe sing along. Then Aunt Stella – she takes Stella’s hand – joins, when they’re lucky enough to have her in town. And he said all this with a big smile on his face. Stella says, amen to that, and Marshall says, that’s a beautiful sentiment. He’s still kicking himself for all the years he wasted staying away. Watching from a distance, Trina tells Spencer that she wishes she had her Aunt Stella’s faith. Spencer says, Trina might not have the same faith in God that she does, but Trina can at least trust he’s not going anywhere. He smooths her hair and kisses the top of her head.

Tomorrow, Chase asks Brook what Tracy could possibly do for him; Cody says he’ll understand if Selina no longer wants to retain his services; Lucy tells Felicia that they’re going to find what Martin’s been hiding from her; and it’s Sasha 2.0.

🥀 Sad Soap News…

This was so sad to hear. She was always one of my favorites.

Another groundbreaker gone too soon.

⚔️ Hatfields And McCoys 2023…

It’s doubtful I could sit through two hours of this. And really? At someone else’s house?

⚰️ Across The Dead Sea…

Daryl has a hard time communicating in his native country. It will be interesting to see how he navigates France.

https://www.looper.com/1300810/the-walking-dead-daryl-dixon-everything-you-need-to-know/

https://ew.com/tv/walking-dead-daryl-dixon-norman-reedus-branded-teaser-footage/

🗽 This Week In the City…

https://movieweb.com/the-walking-dead-dead-city-surprise-cameo-character/

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-dead-city-recap-season-1-episode-4-everybody-wins-a-prize/

🐶 Lucky Dog…

Now I don’t feel as bad about Jiggs next door not liking me too much.

https://people.com/sofia-vergara-joe-manganiello-celebrate-dog-bubbles-birthday-7558714

🏃🏽‍♀️ Sliding Into Home…

Boomerang back tomorrow for soap and trash talk about the OC. Until then, stay safe, stay keeping in touch with old friends, and stay not dwelling on the past, but looking toward the future.

July 10, 2023 – Shots Are Fired At the MetroCourt Pool, Guest Randy Instigates a Problem On Deck, Surviving the Season From Hell & Sunset

Standard

What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)

General Hospital

TJ and Molly go to dance, and Sam says, it looks like Molly is doing better. Alexis says she’s glad Molly is taking some of the pressure of that she’s putting on herself, and Kristina says she has a way that Molly and TJ won’t feel alone in this. Sam asks, what’s her big idea? and Kristina says, she’ll be Molly and TJ’s surrogate. Molly overhears, and asks if she and TJ can sit somewhere separate; as isolated as possible. He asks why she doesn’t want to be around her mom and her sisters, and she says, because she may have to kill her sister.

Trina and Josslyn set up a picnic on a blanket in the park, and Josslyn says she feels like she just goes from one disaster to the next. She feels like they haven’t done something like this since high school. Trina says, times sure were simpler then, and Josslyn agrees. She says, for one thing, they didn’t have boyfriends who couldn’t stand each other.

Waiting outside the parenting class, Spencer tells Esme that she’s late. She apologizes, and says she got held up at work. She asks how Ace is, and he says, Ace was asleep when he left. She says she can’t wait for his grandmother and Doc to get back from looking for Nikolas. She’s more comfortable leaving Ace with them than a strange babysitter. Spencer says, Melanie is one of the Quartermaine nannies. She’s doing this as a favor to him, and her credentials are impeccable. Esme says, but her child has already been kidnapped once by his demented relatives, so forgive her if she’s overprotective. He says, it’s completely fine with him if they bail on this class. It was her idea.

Chase calls the station, and says, three shots were fired at the MetroCourt pool… No. He wasn’t present at the shooting. He was in the restaurant… He doesn’t know if anyone was hit.

Sonny asks if Dante can see the shooter, and on the phone, Jordan says, somebody already called it in? She was at the pool when it happened. It looked like it came from above; from a hotel room.

Finn and Elizabeth find Chase, and Finn asks, what happened? They heard gunshots. Chase says, thank God. He needs their help. Come with him.

Dante yells that he’s with the PCPD and wants everyone to stay where they are. On his stomach, Curtis lies motionless, and Portia calls to him. There’s no response, and she crawls over to him. She says, no, no, no, and Jordan asks what they can do. Portia says she needs towels to stop the bleeding, and tells Curtis to hang on; she needs him to be with her. Dante helps Jordan up, and they run out.

Sonny asks if his man Gabe (I think) saw where the shots came from, but Gabe says he was in the entranceway on guard. He ran out by the pool area as soon as he heard the first gunshot. Jordan gives some towels to Portia, who says, there’s so much blood. She doesn’t know the damage that the bullet did. She asks Curtis to stay with her, as Finn, Elizabeth, and Chase run in. Finn asks her to let him and Elizabeth take over. It’s going to be okay. Chase asks Jordan, what happened? and Finn tells Portia, it’s okay to let go. They’ve got this. Trust him. It’s going to be all right, he promises. Portia moves away, and he keeps pressure on the wound. Finn and Elizabeth turn Curtis partway over, but there’s no exit wound, and Finn says, the bullet is in his back.

Josslyn tells Trina that she knows it’s rare for her to defend Spencer, but his dislike of Dex started because she handled her break-up with Cameron very poorly. She should have broken up with him before she started seeing Dex. It started the night she was attacked by the Hook. Emotions were running high, and she wasn’t thinking. And it’s not an excuse, but she thinks that Spencer just wants to have Cameron’s back, and she thinks that’s a good thing. His bad impression of Dex is really about her. And besides the whole Cameron situation, she thinks Spencer is just intimidated by Dex. Trina asks, why? and Josslyn says, Spencer throws his wealth around. It also makes him defensive about being dismissed as a spoiled rich kid. He’s always wanted to come across just as tough and just as smart as anyone else. Dex works for Spencer’s Uncle Sonny, and she thinks Spencer wants to prove he’s just as tough as Dex. Trina says she thinks Josslyn may be right, and Josslyn says, to be clear, she’s not okay with how Spencer’s been acting toward Dex, but Dex can defend himself. As far as the fake evidence goes, she thinks Spencer really took what Trina said to him to heart, because he’s taking a whole new approach with Esme. Trina asks what Josslyn knows about Spencer’s whole new approach to Esme.

Esme tells Spencer, her idea that they take this parenting class together is genuine. She really wants them to work as a team, and be able to cooperate for Ace’s sake, but it doesn’t seem like he wants to cooperate with her. He asks what she thinks he’s doing here. This is him cooperating. He’s the one who was here. She’s the one who just said she doesn’t want to be here. She tells him that she never said she didn’t want to be here. She just said she was uncomfortable leaving her son. Something he can never understand because Ace isn’t his son. A woman comes out and says, it sounds like they’re here for the parenting class. Come on in.

Kristina says, as soon as Molly told them that she had endometriosis, she made an appointment with her OB, and Alexis asks if she has it too. Kristina says, no, but she thought maybe it’s hereditary. She’s happy to tell them that she’s in excellent health. And she’s the right age, she shares DNA with Molly, not currently in a relationship, and doesn’t have any immediate plans to have a child in the near future. So that puts her in a perfect position to carry a child for Molly and TJ. Alexis says she knows Kristina wants to help her sister, but she thinks offering to be a surrogate at this juncture is a bit premature.

TJ says, what did Kristina do? and Molly asks how he knew it was Kristina. He says, she’s the one who pushes Molly’s buttons, and she’s never tried to kill someone. She says she’d never try to kill a person, but she feels so out of control, she could see herself losing it on Kristina, tearing into her, and doing damage that would be irreparable. He asks why she’d be tempted to do that, and she says, because Kristina wants to be their surrogate.

Sonny says he thinks the shooting stopped, and starts to get up, but Anna stops him, saying, he doesn’t know that. The shooter could be waiting for one of them to come out. She gets on her phone, and says, she’ll find the floorplan, and he says, good idea. He pops out from where they were hiding, and Dante wonders, what is he doing? Looking up, Sonny says he’s ending this. Come on out!

Finn tells Elizabeth that they have to be careful with injury to the spine. He’s trying to stop the bleeding. Under a table, Portia says she doesn’t understand. Who would want to shoot Curtis? Jordan says she doesn’t think he was the intended target.

Josslyn says, Grandma Bobbie told her that she saw Spencer and Esme had signed up for a parenting class together at GH, and Trina asks if her grandmother teaches the class. Josslyn says, no. She just oversees all of the outreach classes there, and saw their names. She mentioned it the other day. She said it looked like Spencer was starting to make an effort with Esme. It remains to be seen whether or not she’ll reciprocate. Trina says she just hates the thought of Spencer spending even more time with Esme, and Josslyn agrees. Dex arrives with iced lattes, and Josslyn asks what he’s doing here. He says, she told him to swing by when he got off work, and she says, she did, didn’t she? kissing him.

The teacher welcomes the class, and congratulates them for signing up. Plenty of people will tell them, parenting come naturally, and you shouldn’t need instruction. In fact, this is not a how-to class, because there is no magic formula; no strict regimen on how to parent. What works for one child doesn’t necessarily work for another. Spencer raises his hand, and asks, if this isn’t a how-to class, what are they doing here? She says, good question. This class is for strategies of cooperation between parents. How to communicate. How to make room for the other’s opinions, even learning to compromise. It doesn’t mean always getting along. It means, being able to negotiate; to avoid ultimatums because children can sense tension. And when the parents are at war, no one suffers but the child.

Alexis tells Kristina, first of all, it was only a few months ago when Molly decided she wanted to have a child, and sadly, that option biologically has been taken away from her. She’s devastated; they’re both devastated. But she’s pretty certain this isn’t the time to make any rash decisions or any grand gestures, because they need to regroup; they need to heal. They need to figure out if they even want to have a family, and what they family may look like. Maybe it will be a surrogate, maybe it won’t, but now is not the time to do anything. Kristina says she couldn’t disagree more, and Alexis wonders why she thought Kristina was going to say that. Kristina says, what if there’s less time than they think?

Molly tells TJ that she knows Kristina wants to help; that she thinks she’s helping. But what she’s really doing is throwing it in Molly’s face that she has viable eggs and a healthy uterus, and Molly doesn’t. She can get pregnant and carry a baby, no problem. And she’ll get to experience all of it. The life growing inside her, and pregnancy, and labor, and giving birth, and Molly won’t experience any of it. And once again, it will be the Kristina show. Not even the worst thing that’s happened gets to be about her. It’ll all be about her. TJ kisses her hand and says, not to him.

Curtis is strapped to a gurney, and Zeke says he can’t believe how fast the SWAT team got here. Jordan says, they had to clear the building safe before the paramedics could come in. Portia tells the paramedics that she’s his wife, and wants to ride in the ambulance. She leaves with them, and Zeke says he’ll give Jordan a ride to the hospital if she wants, but she says, they’re crime scene witnesses. They have to stay and give their statements. He tells her, hold on a second, and goes over to Dante. He says he really wants to take Miss Ashford to the hospital, and he wants to be there for his sister Portia. Can they give their statements later? Dante asks if they saw the shooter or have any information about the shooter that could help, but they both say, no. Dante says, then he’d better take her to the hospital. Zeke thanks him, and they leave. Chase joins Dante, who asks if he got anything.

Anna says, Sonny should have stayed hidden. She doesn’t know what he was thinking. He made himself a target. Sonny says, it was a calculated risk. He assumed the shooter was gone, and it was the best way to prove it so the paramedics could help Curtis.

Dante tells Chase that he came to the pool to talk to his dad, and saw the rifle. He yelled for everyone to run for cover, and fired off a shot at the same time. Chase asks if he knows what room the shot came from, and Dante says he doesn’t know the room, but it came from that window. He points, and says, they have to search the whole building. A SWAT officer says, they already did a preliminary search to let the paramedics in. Now their team is clearing the hotel, room by room.

Anna says she heard three gunshots, and Sonny says, one hit the water here, and another one hit this way; he points behind him. He thinks Curtis got hit by a ricochet.

Trina says, Dex can have her spot, and Dex asks where she’s going. Is she still mad at him about punching Spencer? Josslyn says, she has to stay. Please. She wants her best friend and her boyfriend to get to know each other better. Dex says he’d like that. Why doesn’t Trina tell him one of the things she knows about Josslyn that he doesn’t? Trina says, if he’s ever seen Josslyn play volleyball, he knows how competitive she is, and he says he sure does. Josslyn says, it’s true, and they laugh. Dex’s phone rings, and he steps away to take the call. Dex asks Gabe, what’s going on? and Gabe says he needs Dex to alert the rest of the team. There’s been another ambush at the MetroCourt pool. Dex says, what? Where’s Sonny? Is he okay? Gabe says he thinks Sonny was the target, but he can’t be sure. There was one person who was shot… Dex looks over at Trina, and says, thanks for letting him know. He goes back, and Josslyn asks, what’s wrong? He says, there was a shooting at the MetroCourt pool, and she asks if everything is okay. He says, one person was shot… Curtis Ashford. Trina looks stunned.

The teacher tells the class to remember it’s not a test. It’s just an exercise to see how their expectations match up with their partner’s. If one partner wants the child to go to bed at 6, and the other wants the child in bed when they get tired, that’s going to be a point of friction. The goal is to answer honestly. Truth is the best starting point. Esme looks at Spencer, and he says, what? He put 7 pm. That’s what time she puts Ace down. She says, right, but it’s not exactly her rule; it’s what the books recommend. She never realized, she never asked his opinion. What time does he think Ace should go to bed?

Kristina asks if what happened to Molly isn’t a cautionary tale about waiting too long. By the time she was diagnosed with endometriosis, it was already too late. Her eggs were no longer viable because she waited too long. Sam says, never ever make that argument to Molly, and Kristina says, no, of course (🍷) not. Her point is, she’s healthy now. She’s single now. She’s at a place in her life where she can carry a child, and she doesn’t know how she’ll feel in two years. Maybe she’ll have met someone by then. God willing she’ll have met someone by them. She thinks if she’s going to do this for her sister, the sooner, the better.

TJ puts his arm around Molly, and says, over the years, he’s seen Kristina’s tendency to make things all about her. When Molly achieves something, it’s almost like clockwork that Kristina has a crisis that refocuses the attention on her. Whether they choose to have a child or not, and how they go about that, is a decision for them to make together. Kristina will have nothing to do with it.

Curtis is wheeled into the hospital, and a paramedic says a bunch of medical stuff to the doctor, including that Curtis lost a lot of blood. The doctor tells them to get Curtis into Trauma 1, and asks if they used spinal precautions. The paramedic says, they did, blah-blah-blah, and they take Curtis in.

Brook hugs Dante, and says she’s glad he’s okay. She heard someone was shot, and she’s glad it’s not him. He says, Curtis Ashford wasn’t so lucky. He was shot in the back. Brook says, that’s horrible, and Dante says, the GH doctors are looking after him now. Dante leaves, and Chase asks what she’s doing here; this is a crime scene. She says she knows, but was told it was safe to come out here. She promises she’s not going to get in his way, but she had to see him; to keep her eyes on him. The thing that’s going on with her dad, and now the shooting tonight… She wants Chase to know how much he means to her.

Curtis is moved to a table, and the doctor says he has a (sounds like) GPS to the back, and they’ll continue spinal precautions.

Finn tells an officer that they were in the restaurant and heard gunfire. Detective Chase asked for their help. Elizabeth says, when they got out here, they saw Curtis Ashford lying on the ground unconscious because he’d been shot in the back. The officer thanks them, and says, if there are more questions, they’ll be contacted. He leaves, and Dante thanks them for their help before the paramedics got here. They’re free to go. Dante leaves, and Elizabeth says, if Curtis lives, it will be because of Finn’s quick actions, but he says he couldn’t have done it without her help. He just prays it’s enough. She says, it was such a beautiful summer night, and suggests they get out of here.

Curtis is transferred to the table, and the doctor says a bunch of medical stuff as Portia stands in the doorway. Deanna goes to the door and says, they can’t have Portia in here. She leads Portia to the hallway, and says she knows Portia is scared, but she has to stay out here. Portia says, that’s her husband. Please. She’s depending on Deanna to save him. Deanna says she knows, and goes back in, closing the door. Geez, talk about pressure.

Molly says she never knew TJ had such strong opinions about Kristina, and he says, her sister has the classic Jan Brady syndrome as the middle child who wants all the attention all the time. Of course (🍷) she does. A person can be selfish and generous at the same time, and Kristina is living proof. But obviously, this situation is not happening to her. It’s happening to them.

Kristina thinks she should present the idea to Molly and TJ as soon as possible, but Sam says, before she does that, she needs to really think about what being a surrogate actually means. Alexis says, Sam’s right. Kristina needs to think about what carrying someone else’s child means to her.

Anna tells an officer, then the third shot hit right here, and she and Sonny were hiding behind the bar. Dante says, the last shot could have been aimed at either one of them. One of them is the target here. Chase asks if he can talk to Dante privately, and they step away.

Chase tells Dante that he spoke with hotel security, and there’s only one room on the 11th floor with a pool view, and it’s currently unoccupied. Dante suggests they check it out, and Brook watches them leave.

Portia frets as she sees a nurse dash out of Curtis’s room. Zeke and Jordan walk in, and Jordan asks if there are any updates. Zeke hugs Portia, and Portia says, he’s is in the trauma room now, and they’re prepping him for surgery. They just have to find the exact location of the bullet. Zeke thinks they should find a seat, but Portia says she’s fine here. You’d think this would be easier for her because she’s a doctor. She knows what they’re doing in there, and knows every step they’re taking. She also knows doctors are human too, and sometimes everything you can do isn’t enough. Her phone rings, and she says, Trina? Trina says she heard about Curtis. Is he…? Portia says, they’re working on him now. Curtis is alive and he’s fighting.

Sam tells Kristina, when she was pregnant, she was not at all prepared to be a mother. It was Jason who offered to help her raise Sonny’s baby. But as the pregnancy progressed, it affected her profoundly in ways that she would have never anticipated. So by the time her daughter Lila was stillborn at birth, it shattered her. She guesses her point is, she thought she knew what it meant to be pregnant; when in reality, she couldn’t have been more wrong.

Molly says, TJ is right. This has been happening to both of them, and she’s been shutting him down and pushing him away. This is her loss, but it’s his too, and she’s sorry. She wanted to give him a child. Their child. She wanted to carry that baby and give birth with him by her side. She had all these dreams that she just took for granted would happen someday when they were ready, and now she knows they’re never going to happen. She’s grieving, but in her grief, she forgot to ask what his dreams were.

Zeke asks how Jordan is doing and she says she’s okay. He doesn’t need to worry about her. He should worry about his sister. He says, Portia knows he’s there if she needs him. Right now, her best comfort is her daughter.

Trina says, if Portia doesn’t want to talk about it, she’ll understand, but what happened tonight? Portia says she’s still processing everything; it all happened so fast. She was at the pool with Jordan and Zeke, and saw Curtis come in. Then they heard a gunshot. Trina says, from where? but Portia says she doesn’t know. Then Jordan told them to take cover, and she heard two more gunshots. Then she looked over at Curtis, and he was face down on the ground. She ran over to him, and tried to stop the bleeding as best she could… Wait. Who told her? How did Trina know Curtis was shot?

Josslyn scrolls on her phone, and Dex asks who she’s looking for. She says, Spencer. Trina needs him. She thinks she knows where to find him.

The teacher tells Spencer and Esme that they have the exact same answers. Either they’re perfectly in sync or they’re reading from the same parenting guide. Esme says, they’re reading from the same parenting guide, and the teacher says, they’re both very young. Ace is their first child? Esme says, Ace is her baby. Spencer’s his brother and… baby daddy’s not in the picture. The teacher asks how that’s working out, and Esme says, surprisingly well. She and Spencer haven’t always gotten along, but she has to admit, Spencer always comes through for Ace. Spencer says, Esme’s a devoted mom. She found this parenting guide, and he thinks she found it helpful, so she had him read it as well. She found this class for them because she wants what’s best for Ace, and he wants the same thing. The teacher says, it sounds like they’re a great team.

Brook says she’s glad Sonny and Anna aren’t hurt. It’s times like these when she realizes how dangerous Chase and Dante’s jobs really are. She’s not doing anyone any good just standing here, so she’s going to go, and Sonny tells Gabe to make sure she gets home safe. Brook protests, but Sonny says, she’s in bad shape. She’s not driving home by herself. She thanks him and leaves with Gabe. Anna says, that was really nice, and Sonny says, it depends on your perspective. If he’s the shooter’s target, he has to bear some responsibility for what happened here. She says, judging from where the bullets hit, she’d say he was being targeted. Have there been any other incidents lately? Is someone trying to kill him?

Dante and Chase go to the unoccupied room, which has police tape across it. Dante asks an officer if they found anything in there, but the officer says, they swept all the rooms, and there was no sign of the shooter. Dante tells him, the hotel staff said this was the only room not occupied. He wants to take another look. The officer says, be his guest, and they go inside. Dante tells Chase, the shooter may be gone, but maybe he left something behind. Chase goes to check the rooms, and Dante feels around the couch cushions. He lifts one up, then moves the couch aside to reveal an automatic rifle. He calls Chase in, and says, come take a look.

Trina runs finds Portia, and says she’s so sorry about Curtis, hugging her. Portia says she knows. All they can do is pray. Josslyn and Dex are there, and Josslyn says, if there’s anything they can do to help… Portia thanks her, and says she’s sorry, but she doesn’t remember Dex’s name. He says, Dex. He’s Josslyn’s boyfriend. If she needs anything, they’ll be over here. Josslyn asks if Dex can stay with Trina. She’ll be back in a minute.

Kristina says, Sam is right; she didn’t really think this through. She was so busy focusing on helping her sister, she didn’t really think about how it could affect her. Being pregnant for nine months, then giving birth, it’s a lot. For Molly and TJ too. Surrogacy isn’t something she should just do on impulse. Alexis tells her not to be hard on herself. It was a loving impulse. Kristina says, it’s good she only blurted it out to them, and not to Molly and TJ. The three of them join hands in the middle of the table.

TJ says, even if he’s never said it out loud, he guesses he also dreamed for Molly to carry their child. He’s been grieving the loss of that dream, but on his end, he’d still like for them to have kids… somehow. And when that happens, that is all up for grabs. Things they’ll figure out when they’re ready. She says, okay. Good. Because she still wants to have kids someday too. Although if they were to go the surrogacy route, Kristina is healthy, and she does share DNA with her. Kristina might actually be their best choice.

Elizabeth and Finn walk outside, and she says she doesn’t know why she’s feeling like this. She’s seen plenty of gunshot wounds. Finn says, you do your job, then the emergency passes and the adrenaline fades, and you have the same fears as everyone else. You look down and see that victim, and he’s bleeding. And he’s your friend. He’s Curtis; that’s Portia’s husband. She says she just can’t stop shaking, and he puts his arm around her.

Sonny tells Anna that he’s been experiencing some friction from a newer business associate lately, and she says he doesn’t have to speak in code. She’s not affiliated with law enforcement in any capacity now. He says, her fall from grace is pretty new and very public, and somebody was upset enough to spray paint murderer on her front door. She asks if he thinks maybe those shots weren’t aimed at him; that those bullets were meant for her.

The bullet casings are bagged, and Chase calls the station, saying, they believe they found the rifle used in the MetroCourt shooting. He asks for a forensics team to come over, and Dante says, you know what they’re going to find on this gun? Absolutely nothing. No prints. No way to trace it back to the shooter. It’s a ghost gun. Same thing with the shell casings and the rest of the room. They’re not going to find anything. Chase says, this person was a pro, and Dante says, maybe a pro. But to tell you the truth, it also feels like it could be an intelligence op.

Esme says, Spencer never did answer her question. What time does he think Ace should go to bed? He says he’s been a late-night guy for as long as he can remember. When he was little, he used to sneak out of bed. He had this whole gaming set-up in one of the spare rooms in Windymere. She laughs, and he says he thought he was being slick getting away with it, but his dad knew the whole time. He guesses it was nice of him to turn a blind eye. She says she thinks that’s the first positive thing she’s ever heard him say about his dad, and Spencer says, they were close when he was younger. Josslyn comes to the door and stands quietly, but doesn’t go in. Esme says, Ace may not know his father, but he does have a really good older brother, and Josslyn watches as Esme puts her hand on Spencer.

On the phone, Jordan says, set it up. She’ll be there shortly. Zeke says he doesn’t know if she can use an attorney, but he’s willing to help out any way he can, and she says she’s the acting Deputy Mayor now. And with Mayor Collins out of town, she’s the highest-ranking city official. So she has to do a press conference about the shooting and reassure the public they’re safe. So she’s going to do that now. He asks if he can at least walk her out, and she says, sure.

Portia asks the doctor if there’s an update on Curtis, and Trina asks if her dad is going to be okay. The doctor says, Curtis has been stabilized, but he’s still unconscious. He’s going to need surgery to remove the bullet, which is complicated by the fact the bullet is lodged against Curtis’s spine.

Tomorrow, Trina asks if this means Curtis could be paralyzed; Finn asks if Elizabeth is ready to take the plunge again; Dex says, it feels like the odds are stacked against Curtis; and Josslyn asks where Esme thinks she’s going.

Below Deck Sailing Yacht

Gary tells Mads that he wonders how Alex found out she’s on her period. He doesn’t get it. Mads says, WTF? Alex tells Chase that Colin and Gary are the largest gossip queens, and Chase says, it won’t be a secret within the next five minutes. Mads realizes Gary found out she’d told Alex that she was bloated because she had her period, and tells Lucy that she was kidding. Lucy wonders why boys are so dumb, and Gary says, what’s done is done, like someone was killed. He doesn’t want to show his face. Mads says, these people are unbelievable. Provisions come in, and the boat heads out. Gary finds out that he misunderstood and tells Mads that he feels embarrassed, but in her interview, Mads says, that’s not an apology. One more charter and she’s done with it. Alex says he can’t even deal with this f***ing boat. If he put out any effort, Gary wouldn’t be getting laid, and now he won’t. Gary gripes about Alex, and Chase tells Gary not to involve him. Anchor is home, and Chase tells Alex that Gary seems pissed. Alex explains the latest Gary drama, and in Alex’s interview, he says, it goes to show Gary’s leadership style is toxic AF. What a f***ing mess.

They anchor and put out the water toys, Glenn telling them, put as much sh*t out there as you can. Daisy says she hopes Colin doesn’t tell the deckhands anything about her, and tells him about Gary going nuts over Mads. It’s super f***ed up. Gary and Chase pick up the guests in the tender, and the guests get champagne and the tour. Primary Todd asks mom Debra what she thinks, and she says, every mother deserves a gay son. The guests begin downing tequila, and ask for a rope swing. Mads sees how many garments she needs to press, and says she’s over her life. Gary demonstrates the rope, and they notice Debra drifting a little too far in the unicorn inner tube. In Alex’s interview, he says, the current is strong, and they have no barrier or windbreak. He has to act quickly before it becomes an open water rescue.

The rescue is successful, and Alex gives Debra a paddleboard to get herself back, as he lassos the unicorn and brings it in. Chase asks if Colin has heard about the Gary and Alex debacle. In Chase’s interview, he says he’s sure Gary feels embarrassed, but he doesn’t feel bad. The immature way Gary deals with conflict is why he’s in this mess. He tells Colin that he doesn’t know if he’d hook up with a girl after Gary did. Maybe Colin should see a doctor. In Daisy’s interview, she says, the guests are drinking like it’s water. She wants the guests to enjoy the sea, but here we are. They drink shot after shot, and Daisy can’t believe how much they’re drinking. She tells Colin that the guests are pretty hammered, and guest Randy starts to get pissy. Glenn asks how the mood is, and Daisy says, drunk. Randy escapes from the table, and flops around on deck. The sails go up, and the pirate movie music starts. Somehow, guest Nic gets Randy back to his cabin, and tries to give him water, but Randy says, f*** you. He’s going to be sick. Things start falling everywhere.  

Nic says he was trying to help. If Randy falls, he could break his damn neck. He tells Randy to get back in bed, but Randy says, leave him alone. The sails go back down and anchor is dropped in Porta Palma. Randy says, Nic shouldn’t have left him on the floor, and Nic says, Randy got drunk; he tried to take care of him. Randy wails that Nic left him on the floor, and Nic says he couldn’t wake him. Randy says, Nic is a guest of his, and Nic says, he was flopping around, then fighting him. Brad is a witness. Guest Brad says, Randy threw a glass of something-or-other at him, and Mads and Lucy approach the cabin with a massive stack of clothing that’s been refreshed. In her interview, Lucy says, if this is an example of a throuple, take her away. They drop the clothes off to whoever answers the door, and jet. In the galley, Lucy tells Daisy about the argument, and Glenn hears. In Glenn’s interview, he says, this is the last charter in a long tough season. He wants happy guests, and doesn’t need a spat. He tells them, if they see anything weird, let him know. Randy whines that he’s miserable, and going to throw up. Brad says, if he makes a public scene, what happens? It’s not worth it. Randy storms out, apparently not that sick. He goes back to the table, and in Ileisha’s interview, she says, drunk fighting guests are not ideal, but she put in a lot of hard work in and they’re going enjoy this. Lucy tells Mads that one of them got sick in the sink, and gets gloves. The entrée is a bone-in ribeye with parsnips, which one of the guests says is like a potato. X <game show wrong sound>. It’s more like a turnip. Lucy says she can’t believe they’re in their 40s. Debra says she’s noted how many people don’t have mirrors, and guest Grant says, if they’re happy, you should mind your own business. He and Randy start going at it, and guest Todd gets up, saying, he needs a martini, and takes Grant with him. I need one too. I can’t even follow this argument. Probably because they’re drunk and there’s nothing to follow. Randy smokes at table, and I hope he has an ashtray. He decides he’s going to talk to them, and some of the guests stay at the table, which they’ve dubbed their safe space. Randy comes into the cabin, and Grant starts yelling, get out of his room. Glenn comes down, and says, don’t push anyone. The first moment he sees them getting aggro, they’re getting off the boat. Randy insists he’s not violent, and Glenn says, Randy is getting aggro to him,, and he’s that far from getting off the boat.

Glenn says, it’s ridiculous, and Randy says he tried having a normal conversation and was calm. On deck, guest Brad says, if Randy is rubbed the wrong way, you’re f***ed royally. In Lucy’s interview, she says she’s dealt with nightclub scenes. A woman punched her when she wasn’t allowed into the private section. She didn’t punch her back, but wishes she had. Debra tells Brad that he deserves better, but Brad says, if they get a divorce, he’ll get taken for all he has. There’s no prenup. She asks what he was thinking. In Chase’s interview, he says he feels like he can help. He’s been a security guard before. Daisy says she doesn’t understand Gary’s drama. Does he want to be with Mads or not? Gary says he doesn’t know. He needs time off. Glenn tells Chase that Randy instigated the problem. If anything happens, get them. In the cabin, Randy says he wants off the boat, and Nic tells him, go to sleep, you messy motherf***er. Chase walks the hallway until morning.

Chase says, they have one crew night left, and Mads asks what bad decision he’s making tonight. Glenn asks Chase, how was the evening? and Chase says, happily uneventful. Breakfast starts, looking more wonderful than these morons deserve, and in the cabin, Nic says, if they can’t enjoy Sardinia, why are they together? which is a fair point. He tells Randy to let it go. Bury his sh*t, smile, and enjoy one day. Some of the guests go on the beach workout excursion, along with some tequila punch, so I’m not sure what kind of workout this is. Randy tells Glenn, sorry about last night, but Glenn says, it’s okay, remembering that they get a tip. Nic wonders how they’re going to approach the others, and Randy says, sh*t happens. It is what it is. Sh*t also happened in the cabin toilet, and in Lucy’s interview, she says she’s never had to flush a toilet for a grown-ass man. She calls her father, and says, the guests are animals, and she wants out. She’s done. She’s cleaned up sick and sh*t, and wants to go home.

Lucy’s dad tells her, don’t break now. It’s silly. Don’t let it get to her; it’s not worth it. On the beach, the guests do a weird workout where they use each other as equipment; minus Debra, who drinks while wading in the water. Alex and Mads take selfies. On the boat, Colin tells Gary that he’s not his perky self, but Gary says he’s good. Maybe it’s because it’s the end of the season. Colin says, not because Mads in on the beach with Alex? but Gary says, he’s over it. He’s tired of everyone telling him how to feel. Colin asks, who’s telling him how to feel? and Gary says, him and Daisy. She keeps asking if he likes Mads. He doesn’t know why it’s concerning to her. Alex calls for guest pick-up, and Colin tells Daisy that Gary says she keeps asking him if he likes Mads, and it got him thinking. Daisy says, Gary is confused. She asked why he was upset. In Colin’s interview, he says he feels like Gary’s not going to step aside. Alarm bells are going off. Daisy tells him, all she did was ask if he’s okay, and Colin says, it’s a spanner and pretty pathetic. He and Daisy go to her cabin to talk privately, and Colin says, Gary is desperate for a relationship. Mads tells Lucy, it’s so awkward. She can keep up a smile, but there’s a point when she can’t. Daisy tells Colin that she couldn’t care about Gary and his relationships. She just cared as a friend. Colin says, the way Gary twists things is confusing, and Daisy says, Gary is disrespectful toward Colin. She wants to be with him, and this love triangle is over. In her interview, she says she thinks Gary is trying to f*** up her relationship with Colin. She tells Colin, it’s the last f***ing straw. If she and Gary can’t be friends without him stirring the sh*t, then they can’t be friends.

Below Deck Sailing Yacht – Part Two

Wait. What? Did he say finale? Please let it be so.

Daisy tells Colin that she was trying to be friends with Gary, but he says, Gary is full of sh*t. You’ve got to be careful with people like that. In Daisy’s interview, she says she needs to put distance between her and Gary’s relationship in order to have control over her and Colin’s relationship. Gary snarks that someone must have died and made Daisy queen, and she tells him that karma is coming for him being nasty. The crew gets ready for the ABC – Anything But Clothes – dinner. Among the creative outfit materials are duct tape and a garbage bag, while Gary uses a traffic cone to cover his junk and sports pigtails. In Lucy’s interview, she says she never wants to do this again. The starter is amazing oysters, and I want to cry. Lucy is relegated to cleaning the cabins, and when she sees the filth level, she wonders how much she’s going to be tested. Ileisha presents a pappardelle dish with rainbow noodles. Finding condoms in one of the guest’s beds, Daisy says she’s getting wasted tomorrow night, and Lucy says she’s drinking straight vodka. The guests play ring toss on Gary’s cone using plastic hangers. Gary tells Glenn, they got 1 out of 21. When he sees Colin, Gary says, it’s been a roller coaster of a season, and he asks Colin what’s going to happen with him and Daisy. He doesn’t even know if it will work, and it’s going to break Gary. Colin shouldn’t let a good friendship go. In Colin’s interview, he says, after all the lies, flirting, and manipulating him, Gary’s friendship with him is the one in jeopardy. Nothing Gary says will affect how he feels about Daisy. Chase prays for strength during the next 24 hours. I wonder, did those guests just pee off the side of the boat?

It’s morning, and their alarm is like mine and I hate it. It’s the last day, and in Alex’s interview, he says, in a matter of hours, Gary won’t be his boss. To him Mads is fair game. In Mads’ interview, she says, this season has been a roller coaster, and not one she wants to ride anymore. That’s why she’s avoiding Gary like the plague. Alex tells Gary that he appreciates Gary’s patience and teaching, and Mads finds red wine all over the sheets. She takes them to the laundry, and says, not today Satan. Gary hunts Mads down, and asks how she’s feeling about the end of the season. She says, good, and he asks how she feels about them. He wants to know where they stand. Should he back off or keep hounding her? He’s got feelings for her, and doesn’t want to be an idiot. Well, it’s way too late for that. Mads says, they’re just having fun, and Gary says, that’s fine, although it doesn’t seem like it. In Gary’s interview, he says he would have liked it if she’d told him the first time he asked, and a producer says, she did. She told him that they were just having fun; it was just sex. He says, when? and the producer says, the whole time. We flash back to several times, and Gary says, oh… Glenn says, the wind is picking up, and Daisy says, they haven’t cleared breakfast yet. He tells her, two minutes, and everyone scrambles. He says, it’s the last time for the sails going up, and they heel hard. In Glenn’s interview, he says, the Parsifal has had a hard time. To get to this point seemed out of reach, but they made it through, and can finish on a high note. She’s doing exactly what she does best – she’s shining.  

Mads tells Lucy that she fears there will be drama tonight. She doesn’t know what Gary wants from her. They get drunk and have sex. She thinks he’s more into Daisy than her. In Lucy’s interview, she says, it’s about time, and she tells Mads that there’s obviously sexual tension between her and Alex. The guests whine that they don’t want to go home, but it’s time for goodbyes. Co-primary Grant tells them it was out of this world, and he’s feeling it for them. He gives Glenn the tip envelope, and Glenn says, the crew knows the drill. He does his horn thing, and goes back to the crew. He says, in the beginning, they didn’t think they’d get to this point, but they made it. There’s a group hug, and in Glenn’s interview, he says, it was the season from hell, and we survived. The deckhands put Glenn on their shoulders.

Chase says he can smell himself, and I hope he takes a shower before they go out. He tells Alex that Gary turned into an a-hole. He wants to have a good night, and not want to punch this guy in the face. Glenn calls everyone for the final tip meeting. He says, they went from thinking they wouldn’t get of the dock to engine troubles, and he’s proud of how they pulled it together as a team. Everyone applauds, and he says, Daisy had challenges, but she led a team of new stews to become stronger after working with her. In Daisy’s interview, she says, constructive or not, she got a lot of criticism, and it wasn’t easy to take. But she does feel like she’s growing as a person. Glenn says, it took Ileisha time to find her bearings, but she got better with every charter, and she says, everyone was supportive. That’s what got her through. Glenn tells them, now the moment they’ve been waiting for. The tip is $17,500 USD, and we’re all disappointed. In Lucy’s interview, she says she flushed their sh*t over and over for 17 grand? F*** off. Glenn says he’s arranged for a final outing at a restaurant. He’ll be meeting up with them for a drink, but he wants to get a good night’s sleep, so he’s staying off the boat tonight. They clink glasses, and Gary says, what a motherf***ing season. Everyone gets ready to go out, and Mads has Alex tie the back of her dress. In the cab, Daisy tells the girls that she likes Colin. He’s insecure about their relationship, but she doesn’t hold it against him. She thinks they’ll be seeing each other again, but doesn’t want to over-hype it in her head and be disappointed. Mads says, all the girls are rooting for them. They stop at another beautiful restaurant.

Glenn joins them, and says, per tradition, he wants to hear what they felt were their personal highs and lows this season. Colin says, the lowest of lows was the engine failing, and we flash back to that. Daisy says her high was a great relationship with her team. It made her job pleasant. Her low was Glenn on her back. We flash back to that, and she says, maybe she should be more open minded, and reflect on who she is as a person. She tears up.

Glenn says, if Daisy wasn’t a strong person, she wouldn’t be as good as she is, and Daisy toasts, here’s to me being a better person. In Glenn’s interview, he says he feels terrible that he hurt Daisy. He wants to have a good working relationship with her, but he also wants her to be open to suggestions and ideas, as the interior is the most front facing with the guests. Glenn says his goodbyes, so I guess those highs and lows weren’t too interesting, or they’re saving them for bonus scenes. Gary walks Glenn out, and the crew sits down for dinner. The server says, to start, vegetables from their garden, then the 12 different meats. I went to a Brazilian barbecue restaurant once where they had dudes come around with different meats. I felt like a slug the next day. Gary sort of apologizes to Chased, and in Chase’s interview, he says, there are a lot of things he wants to say to Gary, like about his poor leadership and the sh*tty things he’s done – he tells Gary that they crushed it – but he thinks it’s best not to burn bridges. In Gary’s interview, he says he hasn’t had to deal with rejection too often, but it was the story of his life this season. Ileisha hugs Chase, and says, he’s a cool person. They leave, and in the taxi, Alex says he likes Mads, and thinks she can do better. Mads says she gets along with him a different way, and he kisses her. In another cab, Gary says he’s over it, and in Mads’ interview, she says, Alex finally made a move, and applauds. Back at the boat, Mads tells Ileisha that she’ll have to tell Gary about Alex before Colin and Daisy do. Ileisha says, in the cab, Gary was sulking the whole time. Gary gets in his bunk, and Chase tells Alex to go get his woman, but Alex says he wants to stay away from drama. Mads goes to Gary’s cabin, and tells him that she and Alex made out. She wanted him to hear it from her. He tells her to get the f*** out of his room, and she asks if he’s serious. He says, 100%, and shoves her out the door, shutting it behind her.

Gary says he doesn’t want to see Mads again in his life, and in her interview, Mads says, Gary’s reaction is exactly why she didn’t have this conversation with him mid-season. She wonders if he’s upset because he cares or because he looks like a fool. But ultimately, he’s not serious about anyone except Daisy, so…. Gary mumbles that he’s over this f***ing season. Chase dances on deck, and in Ileisha’s interview, she says she loves how authentic Chase is. He’s big and goofy, and has amazing attributes. Maybe if she didn’t have a boyfriend… You never know. Chase tries to lift her Dirty Dancing style, but it doesn’t quite happen. They hug in the galley, and she says, he’s her best friend. He says he loves being her friend. Daisy tells Colin, what they have is amazing, and Colin asks, what are they doing? Where are they going? Daisy says, to sleep, and he laughs.

Chase says his goodbyes, and in his interview, he says, this season was rough. He wasn’t the most tactful, and learned about himself. He’s an acquired taste. It’s weird finishing a charter season. None of them know what’s next. He figures another boat and making some money. He’s free. Mads tells Alex that she went to bed after Gary screamed at her, and he says, it’s not fair. She says, she was the one having sex with him, and Alex says, whatever she chooses, he hopes it’s good for her. In her interview, Mads says, Alex is flirty and fun, and there’s no drama. He didn’t make her life harder. She’s taking it one day at a time. She tells Alex, what’s meant to be, will be. Gary gripes to Colin about Mads and Alex making out on his last night, and Colin says, maybe they realized it was their last night too. He asks if it’s Gary’s pride or does he really like Mads, and goes off to find Daisy. Gary tells Alex, obviously he’s not happy about what happened, but Alex says if Mads and Gary had been serious, it would be different, but Gary says, it’s no different. It was snakish. Alex says he apologizes if Gary thinks he’s snaky, but he had to get it out of his head. Gary gives him the usual comeback of, whatever. In Lucy’s interview, she says, the interior didn’t fight once. Women can support women. (You go, girls!) She’s learned if she gets her emotions under control, she’s a good worker and people love her. Glenn whistles in the galley, and everyone is saying goodbyes. In Ileisha’s interview, she says, sometimes she doubted herself. Inside, she knew she could do it, but in the moment, she wondered. She definitely pushed the boundaries. We flash back to some memorable meals, and she says she’s proud of herself. Colin tells Daisy that they haven’t even started, and in Daisy’s interview, she says, vulnerability is scary for anyone. She and Colin are going back to their own worlds, and won’t see each other for a couple of months. He tells Daisy that it’s been a roller coaster. He likes her, but he doesn’t want to get hurt. In her interview, Daisy says she’s not saying long distance isn’t possible, but maybe it’s unrealistic.  

Colin says he wants them to be open and honest, and they’ll see where it goes. His feeling are real, and that’s why they can figure it out. He’ll miss her. They kiss, and she says she’ll miss him too. In Colin’s interview, he says he thinks he and Daisy realized there’s a genuine connection. She’s shown him an affectionate side he didn’t think she was capable of. She tells him that she wants to spend time with him on Parley, and in his interview, he says, the only way they’ll know if this has potential is if they pursue it outside the boat and away from Gary. In Alex’s interview, he says he doesn’t regret anything this season. We grow through what we go through. All the problems and speedbumps they went through to get to the end, they handled it well. He cares about Mads, and hopes she knows she deserves better. He doesn’t think he’s going to miss her because he’s pretty sure he’s going to see her again. Peace. While Daisy is talking with Gary, Mads stops in to say goodbye. Gary agrees to speak with her, and she says she didn’t mean to hurt him. She thought they were having fun, and she’s sorry it happened the way it happened. Gary says he was broken, and she says she was aware when he screamed at her. He says he’s sorry. He felt like he was being cheated on. In his interview, he says, being on the receiving end isn’t a nice feeling. He feels like a f***ing idiot. In Mads’ interview, she says she’s realized a lot things can go wrong living with people on a boat. You know people in a weird way; you know their underwear. She doesn’t know what’s next, but if this season has taught her anything, it’s don’t screw the crew. It’s not worth it. Colin tells Gary that he’d like to say it’s been a pleasure, and in his interview, Colin says, this season was a challenge to him professionally and personally. It challenged some of his friendships, and he feels that he needs time away from Gary. There was a trust that was broken. He needs to reconsider the friendship and what it means to him, and Gary. Colin kisses Daisy goodbye, and in his interview, he says, they’re good friends. Maybe they’ll be good lovers. He’s not sure, but he’s willing to explore it. He didn’t enjoy the weird little love triangle. Gary says he’s going to miss Daisy, and she says she knows. In Daisy’s interview, she says she understands why her relationship with Gary confuses people. She isn’t sure she understands it. She hopes Gary can give her and Colin the room and respect they deserve to develop a relationship. Daisy says goodbye to Glenn, and he tells her that he understands she was under stress this season, but Daisy admits she was defensive. He tells her to be open to new ideas. It will make her stronger. He hopes to see her back. In her interview, Daisy says she feels lucky. Glenn is an incredible captain, but this season broke her. She’s sure she’s going to need a lot of therapy. In Gary’s interview, he says, people want what they can’t have. It’s a pity things didn’t work out. Glenn says, then there were two, and in his interview, Gary says he’s going to be single for a while, and reflect more. Little Gary gets him in trouble. He’ll see if it works. He asks Glenn, what are the plans? and Glenn says, tidy the boat, and find a new engine. He starts calling around for an entire rebuild kit, and finds where there’s one in stock. He says, yeah baby!

🧨 Not a Firework…

Join me tomorrow for soap and whatever rabbits I can pull out of a teacup. For those interested, Bravo has a marathon of Ultimate Girls Trip going on, as well as an airing of Crappie Lake. It’s free-for-all summer! Until then, stay safe, stay being charitable, but choosing your charity wisely, and stay being able to compromise and negotiate, and avoid ultimatums.

July 7, 2023 – Tracy Joins Finn’s Family Dinner, Why, On the Edge, Hotlanta, Crappie, Off Camera Drama, Bye-Bye Fame, VanderNext, She Wins, Dead Talk, Lotsa Cute, Not Ten Quotes & Habit

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What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)

General Hospital

At the MetroCourt bar, Violet finishes another Shirley Temple, and tells Finn, that was delicious. She asks for another, and he says, she knows it’s 100% sugar, right? She nods enthusiastically, when Chase comes up behind her, and says, guess who? She says, Uncle Chase! and he asks what they’re doing at the bar. She says, they’re having cocktails before dinner. Everybody knows that’s when you have cocktails. He says, we already know that, do we? He asks if they’ve seen Brook, and Violet says, Brook bought her a Shirley Temple. Finn says he didn’t know Brook was joining them, and Chase asks if it’s okay. Finn says, absolutely. He last saw her by the pool with Tracy. Chase says he’d better rescue her… He’d better find her.

Tracy asks, why on earth would Brook confess to downloading proprietary information on The Deceptor? Why didn’t she just let Maxie take the fall? Brook says, because she has a conscience? A soul? A shred of decency? Tracy says, and she doesn’t? and Brook says, and she couldn’t stand to see Maxie and Lucy fight. Tracy asks, why not? and Brook says, because she likes them. That’s why she hates doing this so much. Tracy says she thinks Brook misspoke. She loves working at Deception. Otherwise, her boyfriend Detective Chase is going to know just what role Tracy played in getting his badge back. Chase walks in, and says, just the two he was looking for. Finn said they were by the pool. Brook says, they were, but they’re done, and Chase says, good evening, to Tracy. She asks if he had a busy day keeping the citizens of Port Charles safe.

Anna and Jordan sit at a table poolside, and Anna says she’s glad Jordan called. They haven’t really seen one another since her past was splashed across the newspapers. Jordan says, for the record, that’s not why she hasn’t called. Anna says she knows, but it has to be hard to process how she’s going to be friends with… basically a traitor. Jordan says, not for a second. How’s she handling all that? Anna says she guesses she’s been able to wait out her relevance in the news cycle. It’s almost insulting how reporters stop harassing you and just move on to the next thing. Jordan tells Anna to count her blessings, and Anna says her life is probably returning to a new normal. Jordan asks if she thinks it’s normal to find the word murderer spray painted across her front door.

Elizabeth asks how things are with Trina and Curtis, and Portia says, Trina approached her yesterday, and it’s the first time since the wedding. Elizabeth says, that’s amazing, but what about Curtis? and Portia says, they’ve yet to talk… because she’s been avoiding him.

Curtis says, sorry for the interruption, but TJ says, it’s cool. Curtis has a club to run. He should probably be going and get out of Curtis’s hair (which is funny, since Curtis doesn’t have hair). Curtis says he’ll always make time for TJ, and TJ says he appreciates that. Curtis says he appreciates TJ coming to him. TJ and Molly have been dealing with some pretty heavy stuff. TJ says, that’s an understatement, and Curtis says, if TJ wants to talk, he’s here. TJ thanks him, and says, because right now, he doesn’t know how to talk to Molly about having a child or not having a child without making her feel pressured. Curtis says, which reminds him. TJ never answered his question. How would he feel if Molly decides she doesn’t want to have children? The Davis girls walk in, and Molly locks eyes with TJ.

Having dinner at the MetroCourt, Sonny tells Dante that he has a confession to make, and Dante asks if he should take his phone out to record it. Sonny says, it’s nothing like that. He called Dante out to dinner under false pretenses. He needs a favor. He and Nina are getting married, and he wanted to know if Dante wanted to be his best man.

Brook says, nice talking to Tracy, but she and Chase have dinner plans. Tracy says, romantic night? Just the two of them? Chase says, actually, they’re meeting his brother. He and Violet are at the bar. Brook says, they can’t keep them waiting, and she and Chase leave.

Anna asks how Jordan knew about the spray paint on her door, and Jordan says, how does she think? Anna says, Valentin, and Jordan says, he called her before he left town. He told her about the vandalism at Anna’s house. It’s funny. She checked, but there was no police report on the incident. Anna says she didn’t make a report. It’s kids. It’s just a prank. It’s not a major crime. Valentin shouldn’t have bothered Jordan with that. Jordan says, Valentin is worried about her. He feels it’s a bad time to be gone, and from what she’s hearing, she agrees. Anna thanks her for her concern, but surely as the new Deputy Mayor, she’s got bigger things to focus on. How is the new job going? Jordan says, nice try and don’t call her Shirley, but Anna says she’s interested. Jordan is embarking on a whole new career. Jordan says she hasn’t really started yet; there’s not much to tell. Back to Anna. Has their been any fallout from the article? What about from her family? Anna says, nobody’s thrilled. Robin understands, but Emma… It’s more difficult with her. She’s just hoping with time, Emma gives her the benefit of the doubt. And her friends are her friends. Jordan takes Anna’s hands, and says she’ll always be one of them. Anna says she’s grateful for that, and she does feel, as lucky as she is with the people who love her, there are those that are really angry, and they have a right to be. Because she did hurt a lot of people. Jordan says, that was a long time ago. She’s helped countless others since then, and what she did was dangerous, no matter whose side she was on. Anna says she was on both. Ask Robin. Jordan says, undercover work is risky and complicated, both physically and emotionally. It takes a toll on you, your relationships, your whole life. Believe her. She knows. Anna says she knows Jordan does. What is she looking forward to in this new job? Jordan says, honestly, she’s hoping it will distract her from the rest of her life, and Anna says, what happened with her and the… Jordan says, the kiss, and Anna says, yeah, that. Jordan says, yes and no.

Curtis says he sees the Davis women showed up in full force tonight, and Alexis says, they sure did. Molly asks what TJ is doing here, and Alexis suggests they get a table, and let Molly and TJ have some privacy. Curtis says he’ll set them up. First drinks are on him. Kristina says, he should know, they’re drinking champagne, and Alexis says, club soda for her. Curtis says he’d expect nothing less, and tells them to enjoy their night. They go to their table, and Curtis asks if he can talk to Sam. She asks, what’s up? and he says he just wanted to check in; how’s Drew? She says, that’s a good question. Her head is still spinning. She doesn’t know how Drew’s plea deal went so wrong. Curtis says he heard that judge might be running for office, so maybe the judge wanted to prove he wasn’t soft on white collar crimes. She says, it still doesn’t justify Drew missing three years of his daughter’s life.

TJ says he’s sorry. He just came to talk to his Uncle Curtis. he was planning on leaving before she got here. He guesses he lost track of time. She’s here now, so he guesses he’ll head out. He tells her to have fun with her mom and sisters, and he’ll see her at home. Okay? She says, nothing about this is okay.

Dante says he’ll be honored to be Sonny’s best man, and Sonny says he appreciates Dante’s support when it comes to his relationship with Nina. Dante says, you got to do what makes you happy. Does he know when the big day is? Sonny says, sometime in the fall, and Dante says, pretty close. Sonny says, they want to keep it simple. Nina doesn’t want a big wedding. Dante asks if that’s the only reason, and Sonny asks if Dante thinks no one is going to show up at his wedding. Dante laughs, and says, Sonny could have a point, but that’s not what he was saying. Does Sonny think he should keep a low profile about this wedding because there could be trouble?

Elizabeth says, the last time she and Portia talked about Curtis, Portia was afraid she’d say something out of anger she didn’t mean. She doesn’t know what happened between them, but is Portia still angry… Portia says, yes, and Elizabeth says, no hesitation there. Portia says she’s angry and extremely hurt. The whole situation is sad, and she misses Curtis and knows that they need to talk. A part of her is worried that maybe it’s already too late. Given everything that’s already happened, and given everything they’ve done to each other at this point, do they even want to try again? Elizabeth says, that’s why Portia’s been avoiding him, and Portia says she knows they need to talk. Elizabeth says she totally gets why they haven’t, and why Portia keeps putting it off. After so much hurt, she has to consider is it even fair to ask him to risk his heart again. Portia asks if Elizabeth and Finn are talking about getting back together again, but Elizabeth says, they’re talking about Portia. Portia says, Elizabeth and Finn are getting closer again, aren’t they? and Elizabeth says, they have been talking about doing stuff together as a family for the kids. Portia says, that’s good, and Elizabeth says, it is, but she doesn’t think she should push it. It isn’t just about her and Finn. Violet’s happiness is also at stake. That little girl wants her and her dad to get back together so badly, she arranged for them to go on a date last night. Portia says, that sweet faced little girl is absolutely sneaky, and Elizabeth says, she is. After dinner, Finn just kept apologizing for Violet having the wrong idea about them. And if he wants to just be friends, she doesn’t want to jeopardize that. If they were to try again, and for some reason Elizabeth couldn’t make it work, she doesn’t want to be responsible for breaking that little girl’s heart again. Portia asks if it’s really Violet’s heart Elizabeth is worried about breaking, or is it her own?

Violet says, Chase lost Brook, and Finn says, Chase just found her. How did he lose her again so fast? Chase says, she told him she had something urgent, and asks, where’s dad? Finn says, he should be here any minute, and Violet says, grandpa’s sleeping over tonight. Does Uncle Chase want to sleep over too? He can bring Brook. Chase says, another time. How’s this weekend? She asks if he promises, when Tracy comes over. She says, they meet again, and Finn says, it’s been a whole twenty minutes, but always a pleasure. Violet says, Auntie Tracy, look. They’re having cocktails. Tracy says, you’re starting early, but Violet says, it’s not early; it’s almost dinnertime. Tracy says, that’s not what she meant, but she won’t intrude. She just wants to get some take-out. She hates dining alone. Violet says, she doesn’t have to eat alone, and asks Finn if Auntie Tracy can have dinner with them. Finn says he doesn’t think she’d… and Tracy says she’d loved to. She thanks Violet for her kind invitation, and Violet says, now they’ll have the same number of boys and girls. Tracy says, but Brook is joining them, and Violet says she knows. It will be Uncle Chase and Brook, her and Daddy, and Auntie Tracy and… grandpa! She runs over to Gregory, and he picks her up. Tracy says, this is going to be fun, and Chase asks Gregory how it’s going.

Molly says she can’t believe it’s come to this, and TJ says he swears he wasn’t trying to intrude on her night out. He knows she needs time. She says, that’s not why she’s upset. She’s upset because he thought he needed to sneak out before she got here. Has she made him feel like she can’t stand to be around him? He says, she hasn’t, but to be fair, she didn’t seem all that happy to see him. She says she was just surprised, and he says, then demanding to know what he’s doing here at his uncle’s club. She says she thought maybe this was… He says, like an ambush? and she says, maybe. Everything is so scrambled right now, but one thing she does know is that she’d never want to chase him away. He says, and he wants he to know that he’d understand if she needs some time away from him, but she says she’d never need that. What she needs is a break from her fertility issues, but not from her life partner; never from him. She would never want to shut him out, but if he wants to talk, they should talk. He says, not tonight. She needs a break. Go have fun. She says, only if he stays, and he says, if she insists, and they kiss.

Coming out of the elevator, Brook sees Tracy sitting down for dinner, and says, why God? What have I done to deserve this? On second thought, God, don’t answer that. At the table, Gregory says he didn’t realize Tracy was joining them, and Tracy says, how could she refuse his delightful granddaughter’s invitation? Brook comes over to the table, and Gregory says, speaking of delightful granddaughters… Tracy asks how many he has, and Brook says, he was talking about her. Chase says, she is delightful, and Finn says, now that she’s finally here, try not to lose her again. Chase says, never, and Tracy says she needs a drink. What’s everybody having? Violet says, the Shirley Temples are delightful (WOTD), and Tracy says she needs something stronger. Much, much stronger.

Elizabeth says she doesn’t want to hurt Finn, Violet, or her boys any more than she already has, and Portia says, she’s making it seem like everything that went down was her fault. Elizabeth says, wasn’t it though? but Portia says, no. From what she recalls, they both made plenty of mistakes, and they both were trying to protect people they care about, including one another. What if Finn does wants to try it out again? (Um.. it’s not a car.) Elizabeth says, what if he doesn’t? and Portia says she knows how hard it can be to put your heart on the line. She let her fear come between her and Curtis, and now she’ll never know what would have happened if she’d just told Curtis the truth from the beginning. And Elizabeth will never know what’s going to happen if she doesn’t tell Finn how she really feels. Elizabeth says, Portia’s right. She’s going for it. She walks out the door, and Portia says, she’s going for it right now? Elizabeth says, if she doesn’t do it right now, she’s going to lose her nerve. She knows Finn and Violet are having a date right now at the MetroCourt. So she’s just going to head over there, and see what happens. Portia says, that’s a great idea, but why doesn’t Elizabeth go home first, take a shower, and put something on she feels good in, and then meet him? She can show him what he’s really missing. Elizabeth says she has a better idea.

Anna says, Portia’s brother? To get over Curtis, Jordan slept with… Jordan says, his brother-in-law. Anna says, whoa, and Jordan says she knows; she was there. Had she known who he was, she certainly wouldn’t have told him that she recently kissed her ex-husband. Anna says, would she have slept with him anyway? and Jordan says, no… No. The point is that when Zeke realized who she was, he told Portia about the kiss. Anna says, no, and Jordan says, which was completely unnecessary. Curtis decided he wants to saved his marriage, which is the only reason she was with Zeke in the first place. Anna says, it’s the only reason? and Jordan says, well, not the only reason. Zeke is charming… and funny… and… Anna says, is he hot? and Jordan says, stupidly hot. There’s no reason he should be related to anyone she knows, but it doesn’t really matter now. Anna asks if Zeke left town or something, and Jordan sees Zeke walk in.

Dante says, something went down the night of the Nurses Ball; there were shots fired in the warehouse district; Sonny’s been beefing up his security detail. That’s the word on the street. Sonny says he doesn’t know what to tell Dante, and Dante asks, where’s Dex? Sonny says, why? and Dante says, he’s usually joined at Sonny’s hip. He was even staying with Sonny for a while, wasn’t he? Sonny says, what’s with the questions? What is Dante fishing for?

Sonny says he invited Dante here ask him to be his best man, and Dante says, and he proudly accepted. Sonny says, so what’s with all the questions? Unless the PCPD is trying to pin something on him. Dante says he’s not trying to pin anything on Sonny. They have an agreement, right? Sonny says, right, and Dante says, Sonny doesn’t tell him about his business, and he doesn’t ask. Sonny says, but here he is asking, and Dante says he’s not asking as a cop; he’s asking as Sonny’s son. He doesn’t want details. He’s just noticed some changes in Sonny’s routine. Sonny says he has everything under control. Dante doesn’t have to worry about it. Dante says he can’t help it, and Sonny asks if it’s because he’s a cop. Dante says, no. Because he’s Sonny’s son.

Violet shows Tracy some stuff on her phone, and everyone is laughing and having a good time. Chase asks if Brook is feeling okay, and she says she guesses. She’s sorry her grandmother hijacked their dinner. He says he’s kind of surprised she stayed. Brook doesn’t think… No. That’s a crazy idea. She says, what? and he says he’s just wondering. Does she think Tracy’s lonely? Brook says, she’s something all right.

In the hallway with Curtis, Sam says, so how are things going between him, Trina, and Portia? Curtis says, things with him and Trina were going good, but now he’s messed things up with Portia. She asks what he messed up, and he says he just hopes he and Trina can get through it. He always Admired Portia and Trina’s relationship, and subconsciously, he always knew if he was to establish a relationship with Trina, it would be secondary. There’s something about knowing that she’s his daughter, that he’s her biological father, that makes it different. Sam says she gets that. Before he found out, Portia connected him to Trina, but now he has his own connection whether he and Portia stay together or not. He says he sure hopes they do. He just hopes he and Trina can learn to be father and daughter no matter what. She says, they will, and he asks how she knows. She says she knows him, and that gives her faith that things will work out. He says, sometimes it feels like it takes a lifetime to get to know someone. Then you look back, and you realize it’s just a blink of an eye. Take his father for instance. He thought he’d never let that man back in his life after he abandoned them, but look at them now. He just wishes he’d let Marshall in sooner. She says, exactly, and sooner or later, Trina is going to realize that. Then she’s going to regret all the time she spent being angry at Curtis and judging him. Because in the end, we never have enough time with the people we love.

In the locker room, a nurse tells Portia, looking good, and asks if she’s going home. Portia says, nope. She’s going out. The nurse says, good for her, and Portia heads out.

Anna asks if that’s him, and Jordan says, mm-hm. Zeke comes over to the table, and says hi to Jordan. Jordan introduces her good friend Anna to Portia’s brother Zeke. Anna says, nice to meet him, and he says he didn’t mean to interrupt. Anna says she has to make a phone call, and Jordan says, really? Anna says, really, so if they’ll excuse her… She leaves, and Jordan says, he doesn’t have to stay. He says he knows his timing was bad, coming to her office when Curtis was there, and she says, ya think so? He asks her to please hear him out.

Anna calls Sonny, and asks where he is. She has to talk to him about something. He says he’s with Dante at the MetroCourt. They’re just wrapping up dinner. He can come to her. Where is she? She says she’s here too; she’s up by the pool. He says he’ll be there.

Zeke says he knows Jordan is mad about him telling his sister that she kissed Curtis, but she says she’s not mad at him. He asks if she’s sure. She seemed mad. She still seems mad. She says she was mad at him because he didn’t give her a heads up, not because he told Portia about her and Curtis. Portia is his sister, and he wants to protect her. She gets that. If Portia had found out about the kiss and he didn’t tell her, she’d feel betrayed. And family like that shouldn’t keep secrets from each other. Zeke barely knows her. He says he’d like to change that, now that they’ve cleared the air. Let’s just start over. She says she thinks it’s a little late for that, and he says, it doesn’t have to be, but it’s up to her. How about it? Will she give him another chance?

Dante asks if Sonny is cool with Anna, and Sonny says, she’s good. She just wants to talk to him. He and Dante are good? Dante says, they’re great. He just wants Sonny to be careful. Sonny says, Dante too. She’s by the pool. Does he want to say hi? Dante says he’d like to, but he should be getting home with dessert for the kids. Especially Scout; she could use the pick-me-up. Sonny asks how she’s doing, and Dante says, she’s doing her best, but not great. It’s tough. Sonny says, give her his love, and Dante says, same with Anna. Keep him posted with what he and Nina got going. He doesn’t want to be shirking his duties as best man. They hug, and Sonny leaves.

Gregory asks Brook how it is being back at Deception, and Brook says she’s glad to be back. Tracy says, things must be very busy over there with the success of their new product. What is it called?… The Deceptor. Brook says, yes, they’re very busy, and Gregory says, last time they spoke, she was excited about focusing on her song writing. Will she still be able to do that if she’s working full-time?

Anna thanks Sonny for meeting her, and he says she looks good. She thanks him, and says, better than she did the other night probably. She thanks him for coming over when he did. It made her feel a little less lonely. He says, she didn’t have to see him to thank him, but she says, that’s not what she’s doing. She has a message from Valentin.

Zeke says, his and Jordan’s night together wasn’t just about sex. At least not for him. She says, it was for her… At least that’s what she wanted it to be. He says, but it wasn’t. He thought they at least had some potential. Before everything that went down, before all that crazy, he was looking forward to seeing her again. She says, for what it’s worth (🍷), she felt the same way, and he says, great. Then let’s start over. She says she just started a new job, and she’s beyond busy, and he says, he’s a lawyer. He’s always busy too. But they’re both pretty free right now. Have dinner with him.  

Alexis asks Kristina to tell her about the plans for the shelter, and Kristina says she’s glad Alexis asked. She had a really interesting lunch with the head of the food pantry. Alexis says, where she’s volunteering, and Kristina says, he really helped her understand the whole manpower end of things, like how much staff they have to hire, and what tasks volunteers can handle. Alexis says, that’s great, and Kristina says, it’s a lot, but now that she understands what she’s up against, she thinks she can pull this off. Alexis says she knows Kristina can pull this off, and she’s very proud of her. Kristina says, this may come as a shock, but she’s proud of herself too. Getting this shelter off the ground is going to be a lot of work, way more than she imagined, but she’s going to see this through to the end. Alexis says she knew if Kristina found the right thing, she would soar, and Kristina says she doesn’t know if she’s soaring. She doesn’t know if she’s even on the runway. There’s so much she doesn’t know. Alexis says, if she doesn’t know, she’ll learn. If it’s too much, she can hire someone to advise her. She knows this is going to be great. Kristina can do this. Kristina thanks her.

Tracy says, Brook is just being practical. It’s always good to have back-up when you’re working in the arts. Gregory hopes she keeps writing songs. He really enjoys listening to them, especially when Chase is singing. Chase says, inspiration happens when it happens. Brook can do anything she sets her mind to. Whatever it is, it will work out. Brook says, Finn’s been quiet, and Chase asks how she can tell. Brook asks what he’s been up to, and Finn says, besides work, nothing much. Violet says, daddy, tell them about your date.

TJ asks if the shelter will provide basic medical care, and Kristina says she wants it to. LGBTQIA+ teens tend to avoid going to doctors because they’re concerned their gender identity isn’t going to be accepted, but she doesn’t know if it’s feasible. TJ says, let him know if he can help on that end, or anything at all. Whatever she needs. Kristina thanks him, and Molly says, he should be on the board. Kristina says, it’s not for profit, so she needs to assemble a board before she breaks ground; before she does anything really. Alexis says, she can’t do everything herself. She’s running a business. She’s the boss. Delegation is the key. Molly asks, who is she and what has she done with their mother? and Kristina says she’s worried that she’ll miss being with the kids directly and helping them, being behind a desk all day. Sam comes back with Curtis, and says, then plan it. That’s what mom or Molly would do. Molly says, she has to set time aside on her schedule to talk to the kids one-on-one, and TJ says, that way she can see what kids need more structure, and the ones who need more freedom. Curtis tells TJ, let’s get that champagne, and TJ leaves with him. By the bar, Curtis asks if things are good with TJ and Molly, and TJ says, somehow, they are. Curtis was right; they’ll get through this. He doesn’t know if a kid is in his future, but Molly definitely is. Curtis says he’s glad, and asks if TJ minds if he takes off. TJ says, no, and thanks him for listening. Curtis says, any time, and TJ asks where he’s headed. Curtis says he thinks it’s time he takes his own advice, and leaves.

The champagne has been poured, and TJ is back at the table. Molly asks if he’s ready to dance, and he says he thought she’d never ask. Molly asks if the others are coming, but Sam and Alexis beg off. Kristina says she’ll be there in a minute, and Molly says, don’t wait too long. She and TJ go onto the dance floor. Sam says, it looks like Molly is feeling better, and Alexis says she’s glad Molly is giving herself a break from all the pressure she’s putting on herself. Kristina says she wants to really make sure Molly knows she’s not alone in this, but Sam says, Molly knows they all have her back. Kristina says, of course (🍷). She knows that it’s their decision, but she wishes they’d move forward with having a baby. Sam says, so does she, if that’s what makes them happy, but she doesn’t want to pressure them about anything. Kristina says, of course (🍷), of course (🍷). She knows, but just wishes they could help make their decision easier… That’s it. Why didn’t she think of that before?

Anna says, obviously Sonny is aware Valentin went with Laura to find her son, right? and Sonny says, Charlotte’s staying with Sam and Dante. Dante filled him in, but he’s surprised that Valentin would have her pass along a message. He and Valentin don’t really say much to each other. Anna says, normally, she wouldn’t be a go-between with something quite so precarious, not even for Valentin, and Sonny says, why now? She says, Sonny is involved in a business venture with Valentin? Or rather, Valentin is involved with him. This is all she knows. She doesn’t know any of the details. She doesn’t think she really wants to. But right before he left, Valentin gave her the message. Knowing Sonny would rather do any kind of business in person than over the phone, he wanted her to pass on the message. Sonny says, go ahead, and she says, he’s not to speak to anyone new. If his contact person is to change, do not proceed until he’s spoken with his original contact person. Does that make sense? Sonny says, yeah, and she asks, does he want to tell her what’s going on with Valentin? Why Sonny would be in any kind of business with him?

Jordan says she doesn’t know how this is going to work, and Zeke says, only one way to find out, right? She says, and then what? This situation is just too messy. He says, when she told him that she was done with her ex, did she mean it? and she says, they are over. Whatever happens between Portia and Curtis, she’s moving on. He says, then what’s stopping them from seeing each other? and she says, reality? She’s sure Portia’s already given him an earful on why he should avoid her like the plague. He says he doesn’t let his family dictate who he sees. Does she? She says she doesn’t want to cause problems between him and his sister, and he says, Portia will cope. Portia walks in, and Jordan says, you think so? He turns and sees her.

Violet yawns, and Finn says he thinks someone’s tired and they’re going to be heading home. He reaches for Violet, who insists she’s not tired, as we all did at her age, and he picks her up. Tracy thanks him so much for allowing her to join his family for dinner, and he says, it was surprisingly fun having her here. She says, for her as well, and thanks him. She looks at Gregory, and says, and you? He says, yes? and she says, he’s a lucky man. He says he knows, and thanks her. He tells Chase that he’ll see him at the next tea party, and tells Brook, it’s always a pleasure. She says, he can’t imagine how nice that is to hear, and he says he thinks he can. He leaves with Finn and Violet, and Tracy says she’ll see Brook at home. Don’t stay out too late. She has work tomorrow. Brook says, goodnight, granny, I laugh, and Tracy leaves. Brook asks what Chase says about her and him getting a nightcap at the pool bar, and he says he’d love to. She says, great. The sooner, the better. He says, there’s something he needs to ask her first.

Elizabeth comes out of the elevator, and sees Finn, who says, hi. Violet says, she looks like a princess, and Elizabeth thanks her. Finn says, she looks beautiful, and she thanks him. She asks if they’re leaving, and Gregory says he and Violet are heading home, but Finn can stay. Finn says, he can stay? and Violet nods. Finn tells Elizabeth that he can stay, and hands off Violet to Gregory.

Brook says, whatever it is, can she and Chase talk about it on the way to the bar? and he asks, what’s going on with her? Something’s been off with her all evening. She says she knows, and her name is granny. She’s always on edge around her. Chase says, it’s not just Tracy. When his dad asked Brook about her job, he knew he was right. She says, about what? and he says, her work at Deception. Her heart’s not in it. She doesn’t want to be there. Brook says, of course (🍷) she does. It’s a day job. He says, exactly. She’d rather be writing music and managing artists. So he has to ask; why did she go back?

Kristina says, it solves so many problems. It’s perfect. Alexis says she shudders to think. What? Sam says, what’s her big idea? and Kristina says she can be Molly and TJ’s surrogate. Molly overhears.

Portia says, so this is why Zeke isn’t taking her calls. He’s on a little date with Jordan? Jordan says, that’s not what’s… She and Portia both see Curtis walk in.

Sonny asks what else Valentin said, when Dante walks in. He looks up, and yells, everybody down! We hear a gunshot.

On Monday, Spencer tells Esme, this is him cooperating; TJ asks why Molly doesn’t want to be around her mom and her sisters; Dex asks if Sonny is okay; and Chase reports that shots were fired at the MetroCourt pool.

🩺 Having His Reasons…

He’s one of my favorite actors. I got to see him as Ben in a revival of Follies on Broadway. He was filling in for someone else, and when I found that out, I thought, meh, but he was amazing. I’m glad he took this gig.

👩‍❤️‍👨 The Struggle Is Real…

Two Wives. Two roller coaster marriages.

As Dr. Phil says, better to come from a broken home than to live in one.

🍑 Next Peach…

The upcoming season of RHOA.

🗽 Andy Says It’s Good…

This sounds like a fun one.

https://www.etonline.com/sonja-morgan-and-luann-de-lesseps-on-their-crappie-lake-adventure-and-rhonys-return-to-scary-island

📹 Taking Their Word…

Juicy Joe’s phone call was definitely cringeworthy.

🎸 And Stay Out…

My heart is bleeding for him. For those not familiar with sarcasm, that’s an example.

🍸 Rules Coming Up…

The latest on the next season of VPR.

💃🏼 Dancing Like Everyone’s Watching…

For once, good triumphs over evil, and we all get to see it.

https://people.com/ariana-madix-joining-dancing-with-the-stars-7557819

⚰️ Unearthing The Dead…

Everyone’s looking for Rick.

https://screenrant.com/rick-grimes-walking-dead-biggest-priority-fear-spinoff/

The Fear reunion I’ve been waiting for.

There are no small parts.

A preview of the next Dead City episode.

🦎 Fuzzballs And Fluffballs And A Lizard, Oh My…

I spent more time than I care to admit looking at this page.

https://toofab.com/2023/01/01/celebrities-who-love-to-show-off-adorable-pets/

🎋 Quotes of the Week

Maybe you can afford to wait. Maybe for you there’s a tomorrow. Maybe for you there’s one thousand tomorrows, or three thousand, or ten, so much time you can bathe in it, roll around it, let it slide like coins through your fingers. So much time you can waste it. But for some of us there’s only today. And the truth is, you never really know. – Lauren Oliver

The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth. – Niels Bohr

The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness. – the 14th Dalai Lama

No one forgets the truth, Frank. They just get better at lying. – April Wheeler (Kate Winslet), Revolutionary Road

We’re here for a reason. I believe a bit of the reason is to throw little torches out to lead people through the dark. – Whoopi Goldberg

Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else. – Les Brown

Do your work with your whole heart, and you will succeed – there’s so little competition. – Elbert Hubbard

The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex, overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one. – Mark Twain

Music doesn’t lie. If there is something to be changed in this world, then it can only happen through music.  – Jimi Hendrix

🍺 Didn’t Come Here, Ain’t Leaving…

Come back on Monday really Tuesday for soap and a double Decker. Until then, stay safe, stay not making loud phone calls on the train (text for Pete’s sake), and stay remembering, in the end, we never have enough time with the people we love.

July 6, 2023 – Tracy Asks Martin For a Favor, Can’t Be There, News On Jersey, Over, Vander11, Runway Red, Dead Coming Up, Cuteness & Town

Standard

What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)

General Hospital

Finn sits in the locker room eating a sandwich, and reading Parasites and Worms in Humans. Elizabeth comes in and says, hi.

At a nail salon, Sam asks if Kristina was as surprised as she was to get a text from Molly, and Alexis says, she’s not prone to spontaneity. Kristina says, could be she’s out of her funk, and Sam says, or it could be her latest coping mechanism. You can only distract yourself with work for so long. Alexis says, whatever it is, she’s entitled to some fun. Whatever her mood, they’re going to support her. Molly walks in with a bottle of champagne and says, yay! We’re all here. Look out. The Davis girls are on the loose.

Marshall tells Curtis that he should be heading home, and asks if he’s going to see Curtis at home tonight. Curtis says, maybe. Things could get crazy busy here, so he’ll probably just crash in the back. Marshall says, Curtis and Portia are never going to fix things if he refuses to be in the same room, when TJ comes in. Curtis asks if TJ is okay, and Marshalls says, he looks like he just lost his best friend. TJ asks, what if he has?

Lucy asks if Maxie gave anyone the password, and Maxie says, of course (🍷) not. Lucy says, what about that assistant that just quit? but Maxie insists she didn’t give it to anyone. Brook starts to slip out of the room, as Lucy says, what about this? Maybe Maxie wrote it down accidently and left it lying around. Maxie asks what kind of loser Lucy thinks she is, and Lucy says she doesn’t think Maxie wants her to answer that right now. She’s just saying that Maxie has been a teeny bit distracted lately. Maxie says she’s sure. Because she’s been handling the extra workload with zero help from Lucy. Brook stands at the door, watching.

Martin asks what proposition Tracy is talking about and Tracy says, as entertaining as he finds Lucy Coe, a man of his standing needs more to occupy him. She’s prepared to offer him a challenge if he’s up for it.

Lucy says she’s been busting her behind to get The Deceptor off the ground, and Maxie says, sure she has, until Martin calls, and then off Lucy goes, leaving her holding the bag. Lucy says, excuse her for having a personal life. She thinks it would do Maxie good to have one. Maxie says, that would be great. Then no one would work here. Lucy says she gives everything to Deception, and Maxie says she used to think so, but lately, not so much. Lucy says, Maxie’s gone low, and they start to bicker, when Brook says, that’s enough. It was her.

Curtis asks, what’s going on? and TJ says he can’t stay long. Molly is out with her mom and sisters, and they’re going to end up here. Curtis says, that means he has to go? and TJ says he just doesn’t want to be in the way. Marshall asks, since when has he been in Molly’s way? and Curtis asks if something happened. TJ nods, and Curtis says he knows TJ and Molly will figure it out, but TJ says, this time, he’s not so sure. Marshall says, lay it on them, and TJ asks if they remember how he told them that he and Molly were trying to have a baby. Marshall says, that’s not something you easily forget, and Curtis apologizes for not having checked in since he got back from Greenland. TJ tells him, that’s okay. He hasn’t had the chance to talk to anyone since they found out Molly can’t get pregnant.

Alexis asks what they’re celebrating, and Molly asks what she means. Alexis says, Molly is so festive… and the champagne and the nails and the dancing. Any news? Molly says, if she’s asking about the doctor’s appointment, don’t.

Maxie says, Brook snuck onto her computer after she left? What the hell? Brook says she’s sorry. She didn’t realize it was such a big deal. Lucy says, in what universe is this not a big deal? and Brook says she was trying to prove herself. Ever since she came back to work, everything’s been so busy and The Deceptor is blowing up. She just wanted to prove she’s an asset to the company. She wanted to familiarize herself with the products so she could create a social media campaign to solidify The Deceptor as the must have item of the summer. Lucy asks, why all the secrecy? and Brook says, it wasn’t a secret per se. Maxie was swamped when she was called away from her desk, and Brook was trying to be proactive. So she used Maxie’s computer to download the files. Lucy says, files on a shared drive that Brook had absolutely no access to, but Brook says she didn’t put two and two together, that the information was under lock and key. Lucy asks if she knows the words trade secret. Does she know what would happen if their competitors got ahold of this information? They could kiss their cash cow bye-bye.

Martin says, with all due respect, whatever Tracy’s opinion may be, he’s in love with Lucy Coe. So in regard to her rather forward offer, he’s going to say, thanks, but no thanks. She laughs and says she’s offering him a business challenge, not a romantic one. She gestures to a chair and he sits. She tells him, ELQ is a dumpster fire with no one to put it out. With Valentin galivanting off somewhere, and her son MIA… He asks why she cares. He was of the understanding that she’d completely divested herself of any interest in that company. She says she has no interest in taking a leadership position, but it’s her family’s company, and the situation is precarious at best. He says, disastrous at worst, and she says, so with the CEO and second in command out of commission, it occurs to her that the next obvious choice to run ELQ is Martin.

Finn looks at Elizabeth’s soiled uniform, and says, rough day? She says she could use a new top, and he says he’ll relocate, but she says, no, he’s good. Why is she not surprised to find him eating in here? He says, nothing worse than breakroom small talk, and she says she thinks that book would scare people away. Worms and food, quite the mix. He says, this book’s on a lot of hot seller reading lists, and she says she’ll take his word for it. He asks, how’s it going, head nurse? and she says, it’s going… Epiphany made it seem so easy. He says, so will she, and she says, ya think? He says he knows, and she says, about last night… He thanks her for staying and helping with Violet, and she says she loves that little girl; she’d do anything for Violet. Finn says, including going along with her pretend date? He’s so sorry about that. She says, his daughter knows an awful lot about romance, and he says, that’s not unsettling at all. She says, Violet was very sweet with her. It’s been a minute since someone gave her flowers. He flashes back to their hands touching when he handed her the flowers to take home, and he says he had a talk with Violet. She understands she can’t be playing matchmaker like that, so Elizabeth can rest easy. They’ll be no more romantic evenings for them in the future.

Molly says she doesn’t want to talk about all that right now. She wants to talk about Drew. She heard he reported to prison. Sam says, speaking of fun… and Molly says she’s sorry. That was a terrible segue, but she’s thinking about Scout; how’s she doing? Sam says, not good. She’s taking it really bad. Molly suggests taking her to the movies this weekend; some Aunt Molly time? Sam says, that’s sweet of her, but she has so much going on. Maybe another time. Kristina tells Molly that she has a lot on her plate, and Alexis says, more than most. Molly says, that’s when she usually neglects her personal life. She’s not doing this anymore. She wants to focus on the things that matter again.

Marshall tells TJ that he’s so sorry, and Curtis says, him too. TJ says, Molly feels like her body has betrayed her, and he gets that, or he’s really trying to. But now, when they need to lean on each other the most… Curtis says, she keeps shutting him out, and TJ says, it scares the hell out of him. He and Molly cannot go on like this.

Lucy tells Brook, the last thing they need is any of their numerous rivals… If they were to duplicate Deception’s design and poach their sales… Does Brook get how serious this is? This is a horrible offense. Maxie says she thinks they just need to calm down, but Lucy says, calm down? Maxie says, Brook was just trying to do her job. She started just before they launched The Deceptor, and what a whirlwind, right? It was so successful, she’s sure none of them took the time to tell Brook how proprietary it was. She certainly didn’t. Lucy says, okay, fine. Neither did she, but this is still a great big problem. Does Brook understand? Brook says she’s really sorry. If she knew what they were dealing with, she obviously would have asked for permission. Lucy says she can’t stress enough the value of this product. That is why their lawyer said, do not share this; just keep it between the executives. Only them. They have access. Maxie says, and the information needs to stay in the office, and Brook says, copy that. It will not happen again. Lucy says, yay. Hand it over. Brook says, what? and Lucy says, the files. Where are they? Brook says, they’re on a flashdrive. She took them home. Lucy yells, go get them now! and Brook says, right now, and jets. Lucy tells Maxie that she’s going to get gummies. She needs her gummies. She wants gummies. I totally understand this.

Martin says he thinks Tracy’s forgetting he’s only an attorney, and she says, in Valentin’s absence, Martin has his power of attorney; that makes him Valentin’s mouthpiece. Martin supposes that’s true, and Tracy says, therefore, Martin is the perfect person to fill in for him to ensure the company’s stability until he returns, or God willing, her son snaps out of his delusion. Think of it as protecting his client’s interests. He says, when she puts it like that… She asks if she made him an offer he can’t refuse, and he says he accepts. They shake hands, and she says, welcome to the Board. And now for the first order of business. She has something she wants him to do for her.

Elizabeth asks how she can trust a guy who doesn’t even put child locks on his phone, and Finn tells her, Violet said she got the message, but she knows his daughter. She says, strong willed? and he says, to put it mildly. He can’t promise she won’t try to do the same thing again. Elizabeth says, it won’t be the worst thing. They’ve been totally negligent about getting them all together. Aiden and Jake have been kind of at a loss since Cameron moved out. It might do them some good to get together with their cousin. He says, Violet would love that, and she suggests they plan a family night… for the kids. He says, for the kids, and maybe if Violet’s distracted enough, she’ll let up on her campaign to get them back together. Elizabeth says, because that’s what they want, right?

Finn says he doesn’t know about Elizabeth, but what he wants is a little more complicated, and she says, they should probably talk about the other night. Terry walks in, and says, if it isn’t her favorite head nurse and infectious disease specialist. Finn says he has a patient to see, and Terry tells him, that’s what they all say. He says, and he has to meet Violet at the MetroCourt for a tea party, and Elizabeth tells him, have fun. He says, they’ll plan a family party real soon, and she says, good. He leaves, and Terry says she’s so sorry. She obviously interrupted something. Elizabeth says, it’s no big deal, but Terry says she knows Elizabeth for longer than either of them cares to admit. Does she want to talk about it? Elizabeth says, she and Finn had a date.

Kristina asks Alexis how long they’re going to ignore that there’s something blatantly wrong with Molly, and Alexis says she hasn’t decided yet. Kristina says, bottling things up is never healthy, and Molly asks what they’re whispering about; they’re giving her a complex. Kristina asks why Molly wanted to go out tonight, and Molly says, because it’s lady’s night at The Savoy, and she thought it would be fun. Kristina says, except that’s never her idea of fun, and Molly says, Kristina is the one always telling her to loosen up. Kristina says, but she doesn’t listen, and Molly says she’s listening now. Kristina asks, why now? and Molly says, does it matter? Sam says, no, it doesn’t, but Kristina says she disagrees. Under normal circumstances, she’d be all for this – champagne, nails, dancing – but obviously Molly is avoiding something, and she thinks they all know what that something is. Molly says, like Kristina has never avoided the realities of her life? and Kristina says, more times than she can count, but it never works out the way she wanted it to. In fact, it makes things worse. They’re her family. They care about her. Let them in.

Curtis says, maybe he was wrong. Maybe Molly isn’t shutting TJ out. Maybe she just needs time to process. Marshall says, just because their future doesn’t look like they thought it would, doesn’t mean it can’t be beautiful, and TJ says he told Molly that; that they have options. Curtis says, she just might not be ready to hear that right now, and Marshall says, but she will be. TJ says he thinks the hardest part is that she’s not acting like herself. She passed off one of her big cases to a colleague, and then this morning, she decided she didn’t want to go to work, so she called out. Curtis says, people do that, but TJ says, people do; not Molly. Marshall says, they’re both grieving, and grief can do a number on us all, but it’s fleeting. Curtis asks if TJ’s heard the saying, time heals all wounds. It’s true. TJ says he’d never tell Molly how to deal with her grief, or that he thinks she should be done with that. He’s worried it’s more that that, and ultimately it’s going to tear them apart.

Back with her gummies, Lucy says, who does that? A person taking home confidential files to their house. Who hired Brook back? Maxie says, Lucy did, but Lucy says she knows she didn’t. Maxie says, the important thing is they know who downloaded the files. It was Brook, and she’s really sorry, and the files are being retrieved as they speak, so the crisis has been averted. Now, if Lucy will excuse her, she’s going home to relieve her mom and Mac. Felicia shows up, and Maxie says, she’s supposed to be with James. What’s wrong?

Martin says he’s stepping in for Valentin. Normally, he doesn’t answer to Tracy, which begs the question, why would he? She says, what part of her family’s company is tripping him up? and he says he understands the concept. She asks if he understands that the annual corporate GH fundraiser is next week, and he says, the picnic. She says, that’s the one, and if he’s going to be running the company, it would behoove them to bolster their professional relationship. And all of this to say she’d love it if he’ll attend as her honored guest. He says, that’s the favor? and she says, yes, when Brook walks in, but stops at the doorway. Tracy asks if he’ll come, and he says he has to check his calendar of course (🍷). She says, it’s the social event of the year. It will give them an opportunity to get to know each other better, and he can bring his flame Lucy… if they haven’t flamed out by then. He says, if that’s the case, then he’ll be delighted to attend her little soiree, and she says, a pleasure doing business with him. He leaves, and Brook takes his seat. She says she’s been looking all over for Tracy. They have a problem.

Felicia says, Mac is watching James, and Maxie says, Felicia couldn’t have texted that before she came in and gave her a heart attack? Felicia says she’s sorry. She guesses she wasn’t thinking. She just came by to talk to Lucy about something. Maxie says, it must be important. What’s going on? Lucy says she’s looking to get a gift for Martin, and Maxie says, and Felicia thought this was a good reason to abandon her grandson? Felicia says, Maxie is acting like she left James at the nearest fire station; he’s with his grandfather. And it’s a very special gift. Lucy says, it’s so special. In fact, it’s a gift of a personal nature… erotic in nature. If Maxie wants to stay and help them pick it out… Maxie says she’s good, and tells them to have fun. She leaves, and Felicia says, erotic? Lucy says, it’s the best she could come up with on the fly. She doesn’t want her business partners to know she has concerns about Martin. He really, truly is acting squirrely every time she mentions The Deceptor. Felicia says, Lucy doesn’t want to alarm them unnecessarily, and Lucy says, exactly. And who knows? Maybe there’s a perfectly logical explanation for his behavior. Felicia says, there could be, but she doesn’t think that’s the case.

Tracy says, please tell her this isn’t about Brook’s father, but Brook says, Deception. Tracy says, she wants to discuss that here? and Brook says, why not? Tracy says, exhibit A and B, as Violet and Finn walk in. Violet runs over to Brook, hugging her, and asks if Uncle Chase is with her. Brook says, she wishes. She’s stuck with this one. Tracy says, charming. Does Violet remember her? Violet says, of course (🍷). Auntie Tracy. Finn says, she came up with that all on her own, and Violet says, daddy said she had to ask before giving Tracy a hug. Tracy says, of course (🍷), and she appreciates Violet asking permission. Finn says he promised Violet a proper Shirley Temple, and Violet says, with an umbrella in it. Brook tells Violet, get over there. She’s seen Violet rule this bar. Violet says, daddy won’t let her be on his phone after what happened with Aunt Elizabeth, and Tracy suggests Brook do the Shirley Temple honors. Brook says she’d be delighted, and leaves with Violet. Finn sits down and asks, how’s Ned? Tracy says, he’s fully committed to his rock star persona, and refusing to acknowledge his family, and he says he’s sorry. She says, her too. What was that face? He says, what face? and she says, the face he made when Violet brought up Aunt Elizabeth. Call her crazy, but she thinks there’s a story there.

Elizabeth tells Terry that she and Finn went along with it because they didn’t want to hurt Violet’s feelings, and he explained to her afterwards that they were never going to happen. Terry says, because they’re over each other? and Elizabeth says, they’re great as friends. They had a really nice night. They talked, they took care of Violet together… Terry says, it almost sounds like nothing’s changed, and Elizabeth says, except everything’s changed. Terry says, not really. She and Finn were friends first, then developed feelings for each other. Who says the same thing can’t happen again? Elizabeth says, there was this one moment… and Terry says she knew it. Elizabeth says, but it didn’t mean anything; probably not to him. Terry asks if he said that, and Elizabeth says, not outright, but it was implied. Terry says, like nothing’s ever been lost in translation before. She’s just saying, instead of jumping to conclusions, why not ask Finn for the truth? Elizabeth says she can’t.

TJ says he understands that they each need their space sometimes, and Marshall asks if this is different. TJ says, Molly is pulling away from him emotionally and physically. If they don’t face this challenge together, how does their partnership survive? Curtis says he’s not going to pretend they’re not in a tough spot. Infertility can be devastating to a lot of relationships, and some separate because of it. Marshall says, but they’re not just any relationship. He sees how good they are together. How loving and patient and kind. Curtis says, and TJ needs to lean into that patience. Molly will come around, and when she does, TJ will be there waiting for her. TJ says he hopes Curtis is right.

Kristina asks Molly to tell them what happened, but Sam says, only if she wants to. Kristina says she’s guessing this has something to do with the doctor’s appointment Molly mentioned earlier, and Molly asks if she can’t be given one night off from talking about her fertility issues. All it’s been is endometriosis and eggs and babies, and she’s sick of it. Sam says, they don’t have to talk about it, and Kristina says, the last thing she wants to do is upset Molly, so if she really doesn’t want to talk about it, they don’t have to. They love her, and in Kristina’s experience, keeping things in doesn’t help, but they can. Molly says her eggs aren’t viable. She can never have a biological child. TJ can, but she can’t. Is Kristina satisfied? Kristina says, no, and she’s so sorry. Molly says she needs a minute, and leaves. Alexis looks at Kristina, and says, really?

Lucy asks what Felicia found, and Felicia says, a quarterly bank statement. It was shredded and she pieced it together. Every month of the last quarter, Martin has been receiving deposits of $50,000. Lucy wonders if he’s receiving that from Valentin, but Felicia says, not likely, since the deposits come from a bank in Pine Valley. Lucy says, Martin doesn’t have a license to practice law in Pennsylvania, but Felicia says, maybe he does and just never mentioned it. Lucy says, no. Martin likes to take only local cases, and Valentin is his bread and butter. It’s got to be something else. Something illegal? Felicia shrugs, and says, based on her experience, under the table transactions rarely show up on bank statements. Lucy says, right. Based on her experience, which is rather extensive as Felicia knows, deposits like that every month scream affairs, but Marty is devoted to her. Wouldn’t it be kind of weird that he’s the one getting payments? No, no, no. This has got to be something else. So what could it be?

Violet sips her Shirley Temple, and Brook asks, how is it? Violet says, delicious, when Brook sees Martin and tells Violet not to move a muscle. She’ll be right back. She goes over to Martin and says she saw him earlier with her grandmother. He says, suddenly, Tracy’s expressing an interest in having him help out with ELQ. Temporarily anyway. Even invited him to her family’s picnic; him and Lucy. Brook says she didn’t realize he and her grandmother were so close, but he says, they’re not. Definitely more like acquaintances. He has to hand it to her though. That woman is nothing if not sharp. She has a shrewd business sense. Brook tells him, just be careful, okay? and he says, meaning? She says she loves her grandmother, but she can be opportunistic. Just stay sharp around her. He says, duly noted, and Brook goes back to Violet.

Finn says, gossip isn’t usually Tracy’s thing, and she says she read something about Elizabeth and Nikolas trapping a pregnant girl in a tower? He says, good times, and she says she was surprised Elizabeth was involved. He says, it surprised him too, and Tracy says, there it is, pointing to his face. He says, Elizabeth was going through a rough patch, and she says, a rough patch their relationship couldn’t withstand. He says, it wasn’t just on her, and she says, some people are just not compatible? He says, they’re still friends. It’s a concept Violet’s having a hard time wrapping her head around. Tracy says, maybe she likes having a mother figure around – Finn says, yeah – or his oh so perceptive daughter can tell he still has feelings for her aunt?

Terry asks Elizabeth what she means, she can’t? Of course (🍷) she can. It’s easy. Finn, how did you feel about our date? Elizabet says, fake date, and Terry says, whatever. Elizabeth says she has no right to ask him for the truth after she destroyed the trust between them. Terry says, Finn understands why she had to lie to him about that pregnancy, and Elizabeth says, don’t forget all the months she was trying to figure out what was going on with her parents. Terry says, Finn was understanding about that too, but Elizabeth says, understanding and trusting are two different things. She doesn’t think he’ll ever open himself up to her like that again. Terry says, Elizabeth doesn’t know that, so isn’t it time she got out of her own way and found out?

Marshall tells TJ, hang in there, and Curtis says he’ll see Marshall at home. They hug, and Marshall says he’s going to look for Curtis. TJ and Curtis sit back down, and Curtis says he wishes he had an easy answer for TJ, but he will say they’re here to support him. TJ says, believe him, that means everything, and Curtis says, family. It is a bond that can’t be broken. TJ says he was really looking forward to adding to that family, and Curtis says he knows, but like TJ said, he and Molly still have options. TJ says, but he’s not sure Molly wants kids anymore.

Alexis says, Molly just needs some space, when Molly comes back and apologizes for storming off. Kristina says, no, she’s sorry. She shouldn’t have tried to make Molly talk about what’s happening. Molly says, this whole situation is just… Sam says, horrible? and Alexis says, it’s gut-wrenching. Kristina says, it’s impossible to navigate, and Molly says, all of the above. Sam says, they can change the subject, but Molly says, there’s no use in tiptoeing around it now. Sam says, maybe the good thing is, she can start making other plans, like looking into surrogacy or adoption. Molly says she can’t even begin to think about that right now. Because if she does, it feels like she’s going to break. Alexis hugs her and says, if she breaks, they’ll put her back together. Molly says, promise? and Alexis says she promises.

Alexis says, they can go to her house and watch a movie and have ice cream, but Molly says, she and TJ can revisit having a family, but tonight she needs to get out and remind herself of everything she loves. Kristina asks if that includes all of them, and Molly says, it definitely includes Kristina. Kristina says she hears The Savoy calling them, and this time, the Davis girls are causing some trouble.

Curtis says, so Molly’s given up on starting a family altogether? and TJ says, Molly wants to take a break from the planning. Curtis says, it makes sense after everything they’ve been through, and TJ says he doesn’t disagree, but Molly’s lack of communication is so foreign, he doesn’t know what he’s supposed to do. He doesn’t know where her head is at. Curtis says, TJ still wants to have a baby, no matter what that looks like? and TJ says, yeah, but what if Molly doesn’t? What if she becomes so overwhelmed, she decides having kids isn’t worth it anymore? Curtis says, those are very big what ifs, and TJ says, it’s all he can think about. Curtis suggests they game this out, and says, worst case scenario, Molly doesn’t want to have kids, but TJ does, and they can’t get on the same page. What does that feel like for TJ, and what does it mean for him and Molly?  

Finn says he’d be lying if he said he hasn’t thought about Elizabeth, and Tracy says, her take? He says, sure, why not? and she says, whatever residual feelings he has for Elizabeth, he should squash them now. Things got messy once before, and he knows what they say about history repeating itself. Does he want to risk Violet losing her aunt again? She’s already lost her mother. Violet and Brook come back, and Finn asks, where’s the Shirley Temple? Violet says she drank it, and he says, that was so fast. It must be a record. He thanks Brook, and she says, anytime. She asks if she can borrow Tracy, and Tracy says, if she must. They leave, and Finn asks if Violet is ready for dinner. She says, and dessert, but he says, dinner first. She asks if they can see Aunt Elizabeth soon, and he says he’ll check the calendar. She bounces up and down, and smiles.

Terry says, if the issue with Finn was lack of honesty, the solution isn’t to make the same mistake again. How can Elizabeth regain his trust if they’re still keeping things from each other? Elizabeth says, they’re finally in a good place, and Terry says, as friends. Elizabeth says she doesn’t want to jeopardize that, and Terry says, even though she wants to be more? Terry’s phone dings, and she says, patient. Elizabeth says, saved by the bell, and Terry says, for now. She knows it seems complicated to Elizabeth, but from an outsider’s perspective, it couldn’t be more simple. Tell Finn how she feels.

Felicia asks if Lucy and Martin are happy, and Lucy says, blissfully. Felicia says, then if he’s not doing anything illegal, and he’s not having an affair, is it really worth it for her to turn over this rock? It could cost her the relationship. Lucy says she doesn’t know if she can just ignore it. Her intuition is never wrong, and whatever Martin is involved with, she feels like she’s got to know. Felicia says, she’s sure? and Lucy says, no… yes. Just turn over whatever little pebble and spin it, or throw the rock, or do something with that rock now. Felicia says, then the next step is for her to go to Pine Valley and find out who’s sending those payments. Lucy’s phone rings, and she whispers, it’s him. Felicia asks why she’s whispering, and Lucy whispers that she doesn’t know. It rings again, and Felicia says, answer it. Lucy answers, saying, hey you, and Martin says he just had a nice conversation with Tracy Quartermaine. Lucy says, that’s weird; nice and Tracy in the same sentence. He says, she’s invited them to the family picnic, and Lucy asks when it is. He says, next week, and she says, that’s nice of Tracy, but she’s not sure if she can make it back. He asks where she’s going, and she says, something came up; a little business trip out of state. He says, what for? and she says, what else – she looks at Felicia – Deception.

Brook says she needs that flashdrive back, and Tracy asks if it’s necessary. Brook says, Lucy knows she has it, she asked for it, so she thinks it’s really necessary. If she doesn’t bring it, they’re going to get suspicious, and where does that leave Tracy? Tracy takes it out of her bag and gives it to Brook, but they don’t notice Sasha watching.

Tomorrow, Sonny says he called Dante for dinner under false pretenses; Curtis thinks it’s time he takes his own advice; and Kristina thinks she can pull this off.

💔 She’s Sorry…

Apparently, Elizabeth has been replaced by Trina at a GH event due to a family emergency.

👠 What Happens In Jersey…

Looks like they’re all coming back.

https://people.com/teresa-giudice-melissa-gorga-returning-rhonj-season-14-exclusive-7557748

Not all that interesting, but I wanted to include a little Luis smack talk.

https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/8529734/rhonj-margaret-josephs-not-safe-taping-teresa-husband-luis-ruelas/

🪅 Pumping No More…

With everything on her plate, LVP probably won’t even notice it’s gone.

🍸 (Not Much) More On Season 11…

There are a whole two pictures.

💃🏽 Seeing Red…

I wasn’t crazy about this challenge, but it was interesting to see what everyone did with the same damn bolt of fabric.

⚰️ That Dead Couple…

The latest on Rick and Michonne.

https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a44433025/walking-dead-rick-michonne-spinoff-title-logo/

🦛 For Your Squee-ing Pleasure…

I’ve always wanted an axolotl and a capybara.

https://paradepets.com/pet-news/cute-animals

🃏 Cards Off the Table…

Join me tomorrow for soap, teatime, quotes, and a song. Until then, stay safe, stay respecting the rules of events, and stay not jumping to conclusions, but asking for the truth.

July 5, 2023 – Willow Lets Nina In Her Bubble, OC On the Ranch, Celebrate, Shhh, Drunk Dial, Who’s Out, Deck Food, VanderShade, After, Pets (!) & Sea

Standard

What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)

General Hospital

Nina tells Sonny that she has everything she wants; the man she loves, a wedding on the horizon, and barely a cloud in the sky. He says he doesn’t see any clouds, and she says, just one. Willow’s going to be home soon, but without her.

Willow tells Michael that she thinks her bubble should include Nina. She knows how he feels about Nina, but if she can only include a few people each day until her immune system kicks in… He says, she wants her mom to be one of them, and she says, they’ve been given a miracle here. Shouldn’t they share it? Not only with the people who deserve it, like his mom, but also the people who don’t, like her mom.

Sam asks if Carly is thinking of refinancing the house, but Carly says, no. She doesn’t think she could afford the monthly payment, and isn’t sure the bank would even refinance her. Sam says, so they can take the idea of mortgage off the table, and Carly says, absolutely, because she’s selling the house.

Diane meets Tracy at a table by the pool, and Tracy says she appreciates Diane’s punctuality. It’s the little things that engender trust. Diane is glad Tracy finds her trustworthy, but she was on her way to meet a client when she got Tracy’s message. Tracy offers Diane a seat, and Diane asks if Tracy also meets with the Quartermaine legal team poolside, but Tracy says, they don’t have Diane’s ability to think outside the box. Diane thanks her for the flattery, but says, it’s unnecessary. Just tell her what she’d like. Tracy says she’d like to hire Diane, and slides a check across the table.

Mac asks if Cody just said he considers him a friend, and Dante says, Cody is lucky to have a friend like Mac. It’s a wicked world out there, and it’s easy to make the wrong choices.

At the Deception office, Sasha takes one of her prescription pills, when Lucy and Brook come in. Brook asks if it’s true. She heard Cody’s been cleared and the charges have been dropped. Lucy says, Sasha must be absolutely thrilled, but Sasha says she wouldn’t go that far. Lucy says she’s entitled to feel happy for her friend. They’re going to celebrate that as soon as they take care of business. She looks at her phone, and wonders where Maxie is.

Martin leaves his hotel room, and posing as a staff member, Felicia slips inside.

Diane looks at the $40K check, and tells Tracy that it’s an impressive offer, but she already has all the clients she can handle. Tracy is sure Sonny keeps Diane busy, not to mention Carly and all her current legal woes, but she has the feeling once Diane hears what she has to say, Diane is going to want to fire all her clients and work for Tracy exclusively. Diane says she’s neither accepted Tracy’s check nor pushed it back across the table, so please continue. Tracy says she’d like to report a robbery, and Diane says, that’s a matter for the police, but Tracy says she’s not talking about a car or a computer. What she’s talking about is worth a king’s ransom – or if Diane prefers, a queen – and this queen would like the thieves to pay dearly for what they stole. She gives Diane a folder, and Diane admits she’s intrigued. What exactly was stolen? She looks in the folder, and says, The Deceptor?

Brook asks why the meeting is so hush-hush. Are they introducing a new product that’s going to be bigger than The Deceptor? Lucy says, she’ll know soon enough, and tells Sasha, the Twittersphere didn’t have a lot of detail, but how did Cody skate on those charges? Brook asks if Cody was telling the truth, and Gladys put the bracelet in his jacket pocket, but Sasha says, no. It turns out the bracelet was just misplaced, and Gladys made an honest mistake in blaming Cody. Brook says, so Sasha and Gladys are on good terms then? and Sasha says, never better. Lucy says, what about Sasha and Cody?

Cody says, Dante and his wicked world, and tells Mac that when they were in summer camp, Dante would tell stories about mysterious creatures that were half-man, half-monster, who stalked the forest eating lost campers. Dante says, they’re real; they looked like Scotty Baldwin. Mac’s phone rings, and he steps away to take the call. Maxie asks if Felicia is with Mac. Georgie and Baby Lou are with Liesl, but she’s late for a meeting and she has no one to watch James. Mac hears James in the background, and says, it sounds like she needs an entire squad team. Don’t worry. He’s on his way. Dante asks if there’s trouble, and Mac says, just the kind that every parent knows. He congratulates Cody about the charges being dropped, and leaves. On the way out, he sees Martin, and asks if Martin took his advice about Lucy. Martin says, about not keeping things from her. The advice was taken. Mac tells him to have a nice day, and leaves. Martin takes his jacket and shoes off, and lies on a chaise lounge. Tracy watches him.

Willow tells Michael, now that Sonny is planning on marrying Nina, they can’t keep wishing she’ll disappear out of their lives. Like it or not, Sonny and Nina are part of the family. He still backed off on taking down his dad, right? He says he still hasn’t forgiven Sonny for what Sonny did to his mom and their family, but he’s not wasting any more time on a vendetta to make Sonny pay for the pain he caused. She says she’s proud of him for that, but doesn’t want to waste any more time either. She’s missed so much already. Michael says, she came back to them, and Willow says, Nina is part of them. She’s part of Willow, whether she likes it or not. Willow doesn’t expect Michael to forgive Nina, but she spent all those years building a relationship with Harmony despite her many flaws, because Harmony was her mother. Nina is her biological mother. Shouldn’t she give Nina the same consideration? She wants to get to know the mother she never had, and wants her mother to get to know her.

Sonny tells Nina that he could speak to Willow. Now that she’s had this life changing experience, maybe she can see things different. Nina says, that’s exactly what Michael said he didn’t want Sonny doing, and she’s not putting him in that position. To act as a go-between, and plead with Willow… If it came from Willow herself, that’s one thing, but they both know Willow will never give her a chance. He tells her, never say never. She lost Willow before and found her. Then she thought she lost Willow to leukemia, and what happened? Nina asks if he’s saying, where there’s life there’s hope. She never took him as the greeting card type. He says he’s a realist. He’s seen the toughest guys just melt over holding a baby in their arms. He’s also heard about women not even as big as Willow picking up an SUV with an injured child underneath. He believes in miracles. It was a miracle he didn’t die in that river. And where did he end up? Nixon Falls. She says, he’s not only a realist, but he’s a romantic, and she loves that about him. But they have to be honest, there are some people who think them finding each other wasn’t a miracle; more like a catastrophe.

Sam says, Carly can’t mean that, as the moss bowl🎍frets about having to move, and Carly says, it’s not like she wants to, but at the end of the day, it’s just a real estate transaction. This house is too big for her and Donna anyway, and Josslyn will be going to PCU in the fall. She and Trina are moving into an off-campus apartment. This is perfect. Sam says she needs to think this through, and Carly says, it’s not like she grew up in this house, and from the money she makes on the sale, she and Donna will be able to move into a condo on Charles Street and live off the rest. Sam says, that makes a lot of sense, except for one thing. Carly keeps calling this a house when it’s her home.

Sam says she’s talking to Carly as her friend, and asking her to please consider the consequences before she minimizes it down to a real estate transaction. Carly says she doesn’t have the luxury of being sentimental. Look at Drew. He sacrificed himself for her; his freedom. Sacrificing a house seems small in comparison. Sam asks what Carly thinks Drew would say about her selling the house, and Carly says, he wouldn’t like it, but he doesn’t have to know. Please… Sam says, of course (🍷). She wouldn’t say anything to Drew – it’s not her place – but he’s bound to find out. Carly says, by then, it will be too late. It’s her choice. It’s her decision. Sam says, of course (🍷) it’s her choice, but when she puts that for sale sign in the front yard, think about how Donna’s going to feel. She loves this house. Carly says she knows Donna loves it and she’s going to miss it, but she’ll understand. Sam says, she will, but will Carly? When she and Sonny got divorced, the only thing Carly hung on to, the only thing she fought for, was this house. Is she really ready to just let it go?

Sonny says, he and Nina both know they can’t turn back the clock. They can’t undo the hurt they’ve caused in the past. But Nina has to understand, if it wasn’t for her Aunt Liesl, Willow would have never had the bone marrow transplant. Maybe she would have died. Nina did that for her; she gave Willow the gift of her family. If Michael and Willow can’t acknowledge that… Nina’s family saved Willow’s life. Sonny’s phone rings, and he says he was just thinking about them. How’s the patient? Michael says, they just got the all-clear. Willow’s going home.

Nurse Clara says, Willow must be thrilled to be going home, and Willow says she can’t thank Clara enough for all the care she’s given her. Clara says, it’s all part of the job, but Willow says, no. She may not have worked here very long, but Clara went way beyond the call of duty. She’s the one who got Willow to see that this isn’t all about her. Clara says she assumes Willow means being reunited with her little ones, and Willow says, of course (🍷), but also with someone else. Clara says she was right, wasn’t she? A girl needs her mom.

Michael says, before Willow leaves the hospital, there’s something she needs, and Sonny says, of course (🍷). Just name it. Michael says, she needs her mom.

Tracy says, as Diane can see, the file contains a timeline detailing the development of The Deceptor, and the skyrocketing sales once it was released. Diane says, these documents look very confidential. How did Tracy get them? Tracy flashes back to Brook giving her the flashdrive, and Tracy tells Diane, never mind how she got them. How did Deception get them? And don’t tell her that they sprang fully formed from Lucy Coe’s questionable brain. Diane says, of course (🍷) not. A product like this often has years of research and development. And yet… Tracy says, and yet, the timeline confirms they suddenly showed up in Deception’s files as early as last autumn. Diane says, cards on the table. Is Tracy saying The Deceptor is stolen intellectual property? Tracy says she’s not saying it; Diane is.

Sasha says, yes. Cody is her friend, and she’s very glad his name was cleared. Lucy says, no thanks to Gladys, and Brook says, Gladys was pretty useless as her assistant, but she did seem pretty dedicated to nailing Cody. Sasha says, from Gladys’s point of view, Gladys was just looking out for her. Her only crime is caring too much. Brook says she knows Sasha is loyal to Gladys, but she’s still going to push to end the guardianship, right? and Sasha says she’s more determined than ever. And thanks to the help of her psychiatrist, she believes the court will decide she’s ready to be on her own. In fact, she’s going to go celebrate her upcoming freedom with a latte from Perks. She asks them to excuse her, and leaves.

Dante asks what Cody and Scotty were talking about. He bets 10 to 1 the words get rich quick were involved. Cody says, he and Scotty have a connection, remember? and Dante says, Dominique Baldwin. Cody says, not only was she his mom, she was also the love of Scotty’s life at one time. Dante asks why that connection means so much to Cody, when the other connection of Mac being his dad doesn’t mean anything to him, and Cody says, Mac’s better off not knowing. Dante says, Mac’s better off or Cody’s better off? Because it seems like whatever Cody and Scotty have cooking is on the wrong side of the law. He’s the law, right? And if Cody’s in over his head, like he has been ever since he dropped in that pool… Cody says, just drop it, okay? and Dante says, all right. Cody doesn’t want to talk to him, he knows who Cody can talk to.

Mac walks into Maxie’s, and James asks if he can come live with him. He’s tired of being the only boy. Mac tells Maxie to go to her meeting. He’s got this. She asks if he’s sure, and James says, go, mommy. They’ve got this. Maxie opens the door, and Felicia is there. She apologizes for being late, and Maxie says, tell it to the cops. Apparently, they got this. She leaves, and Mac asks, what kept her? She says she took a job, and he asks, what job? She says, the kind she knows best. She’s not just James’s grandma; she’s also, Felicia Scorpio, private eye.

James asks, what’s a private eye? and Felicia says, it means she solves mysteries, like in his Hardy Boys books or his Scooby-Doo cartoons. James asks if she does what grandpa does, and she says, it’s very similar. She’s going to need James’s help. Can he find her one of his mommy’s old sheets? The rattier the better. He says he knows where to look, and runs off. Mac says, if this is about Cody, she can stand down. The charges were dropped. She says, that’s good news, but her case has nothing to do with Cody. She’s doing this for an old friend. He asks if it’s someone he knows, but James comes back with the sheets, and says, that’s private. Remember? She’s a private eye, and private means you don’t talk about it. Felicia says, yeah, grandpa. Now that James is her official sidekick, she needs him to spread the sheet out on the floor, and maybe grumpy grandpa will help him if he feels like it. Mac says he doesn’t know how he feels about that title, but he’ll help. He and James spread out the sheet, and Felicia says, now they get to work and look for clues… by sorting through garbage. She dumps a bunch of trash on the sheet, and James says, awesome.

Cody says, Dante wants him to talk to Mac? Talk about beating a dead horse. Mac is literally the last person he can talk to. Dante says, no. Mac’s literally the person Cody is choosing not to talk to. And he’s Cody’s father. If Scotty’s gotten him into trouble, talk to Mac. Tell him what’s going on. He’ll hear Cody out and maybe help him out of the mess he’s in. Cody asks, what if he doesn’t want out of it? What if he’s the one driving the situation, not Scotty? Did Dante ever consider that?

Maxie says she’s sorry she’s late. What is this big emergency? Lucy says, good. Maxie’s here now. She can break the news. There’s no easy way to say it, so she’s just going to say it. They have a snake in their midst.

Tracy tells Diane, it makes her very happy that a lawyer as sharp as Diane is thinking what she’s thinking, because it makes her believe a judge might agree with Diane. Diane asks if she’s actually accusing Sasha, Lucy, and Maxie – not to mention her own granddaughter – of stealing the idea for The Deceptor, but Tracy says she’s not accusing anybody of anything… yet. Diane says, then what is she doing here? Can Tracy at least tell her who it was stolen from? Tracy says, it’s time for Diane to put her cards on the table. Is she in or is she out?

Carly tells Sam, this house has been her home for a long time, and she’s not going to deny how much it means to her. It’s the only house Donna’s ever known, and after her marriage ended with Sonny, and after she lost the MetroCourt, this house was the one thing outside of her kids that she could hold on to. Even now, she can stand in this room and she can hear every laugh. She can feel every tear, and can even taste every meal they’ve shared. And the memories of Josslyn growing up here, the memories of Morgan, those memories… They’re going to be in her heart forever. Sam asks if she’s really ready to let that all go, and Carly says she doesn’t have a choice. She’s a survivor and she has to adapt. And as hard as it’s going to be to walk out that front door and never come back, that’s what she’s going to have to do.

Sonny and Nina come out of the hospital elevator, and Nina flashes back to telling Ava that when Willow finds out she’s the one who turned in Carly and Drew, any chance that she has of forging a relationship with her is gone. Sonny asks, what’s wrong? and she says she’s not as brave as she thought she was. She’s going to mess this up. She can’t do this.

Clara asks if Nina is Willow’s mom by any chance, and Nina says, yes. Clara says, Willow told her that she’d asked to see Nina. She’s so happy for Nina and her daughter, but she’s going to need to put this on first. She gives Nina a mask, and says, it’s nice meeting her. Instead of saying, likewise, Nina says, okay, and Clara leaves. Michael comes out, and says, Willow’s ready to see her. Nina puts the mask on, and goes into Willow’s room.

Carly says she’s sorry. Sam didn’t come over to hear about her problems. Sam says, don’t be sorry. She asked how Carly was feeling. She’s glad Carly feels close enough to her that Carly can lean on her. It hasn’t always been that way. Carly says, her loss, and Sam says, hers too. She always considered Carly Jason’s friend. She’s glad that’s changed. Carly says she’s not just losing a house; she’s gaining a friend. Sam says, Carly never lost her, and as far as selling the house, she suggests they put a pin in it. They can think things through. See if Carly has other options. Carly says she doesn’t have any other options. And those memories she talked about aren’t bound by four walls and a roof. They’re going to come with her wherever she goes, and they’re going to be the foundation she builds on. Not just the new home she creates, but the new version of herself. Sam says, there’s that fighting spirit, and Carly says she’s done this before. And this time when she’s finished, she’s going to get back everything she’s lost.

Sonny tells Michael that Willow’s amazing. He knew she was tough enough to take on cancer, but to open her heart to Nina was… Michael says, she didn’t open her heart; she just opened a door. It remains to be seen if Nina will make Willow regret it.

Nina says, considering everything Willow’s been through, she looks wonderful. Some color in her cheeks again… and her eyes. Willow says, the staff here have taken excellent care of her, but now it’s time to go home. Nina says, Willow must be anxious to get back to Wiley and Amelia. Is there anything she can do to help? Willow says, as a matter of fact, there is. Once she gets settled in at home, she’d like Nina to come for a visit.

Brook says, a snake? and Lucy says, it all began with what she thought was just going to be a normal routine report from their IT department. But instead, it was anything but routine what they found yesterday – and unauthorized download from their executive shared drive. That download contained data that was highly confidential about The Deceptor. Maxie says, that data is password protected, and Lucy says, it was. Only them. They know the password. Maxie asks if she’s saying one of them logged on to the shared file and stole all the data on The Deceptor, but Lucy says, she’s not saying one of them. She’s saying Maxie stole it.

Diane says if she’s going to take Tracy on as a client, she needs more, and Tracy says, there’s plenty more where that came from, touching the check. Diane says she’s not talking about the money… entirely. She needs to be able to connect the dots, starting with who actually owns the intellectual property rights, and ending with who has them now and how they plan to reproduce the product. Tracy says she’ll get Diane everything she needs to proceed once Diane lets her know she’s truly on board. She reaches for the check, but Diane slides it out from under her hand. Diane tells Tracy, if what she says is true and a judge agrees, then Tracy and whomever she’s working with are going to get a huge payoff. Tracy says she knows, and Diane will be entitled to a quarter of it. Diane says, she’s cute. No. She’ll be entitled to a third. Now if Tracy will excuse her, she needs to go see other clients. She leaves, and Tracy strolls over to Martin. She drips an ice cube over his head, startling him, and she asks if he wasn’t going to say hello.

Mac asks what Felicia is doing with all this garbage, as he and James put on gloves. She says, they’re looking for evidence, and Mac says, if she obtained this garbage illegally… She says, garbage is fair game, but he says, it depends on how she got it. She says, if he must know, she got it from the housekeeper. He looks at her, and she says, it’s the honest truth. James asks, what’s hummingbird cake? and Mac says, it’s cake that’s popular in the South. He asks Felicia, whose garbage is this anyway? and she asks James if he knows what this is, showing him something in a plastic bag. He shakes his head, and she says, this is the jackpot.

Felicia dumps shredded paper out of the bag, and says, looks like someone was in a rush to put their bank statement through the paper shredder. That explains why some of the pieces are larger than others. She suggests they see it as a jigsaw puzzle. All they have to do is put the pieces together. James asks Mac, what is this? and shows him a piece of paper that says, MARTIN GREY, ESQUIRE.

Martin says, long time, no see, and Tracy says, the last time their paths crossed… He says, she was behind bars, and she says, yeah. It was that unfortunate misunderstanding with Alexis. She doesn’t believe she ever properly thanked him for representing her, and he says, come to think of it, she didn’t. Where does he send the bill? She laughs, and tells him to never lose his sense of humor. Is he still with Lucy Coe? He says he is. Why does she ask? She says, chacun a son gout, and he says, come again? She says, to each his own taste. Actually, her dearly departed brother also found Lucy Coe irresistible. Of course (🍷) that was never a match made in heaven. He says, that sounds vaguely like a warning, but she says, it’s a prediction.

Cody asks Dante if it’s really so hard to believe that his old pal could come up with a plan on his own. Not just some harebrained scheme, but an actual way to hit pay dirt? Dante says he thinks Cody’s smart. It’s just Cody’s judgement he questions. Cody says he can’t afford what Dante considers judgement. He doesn’t have a father with the same connections as Dante’s. He doesn’t have a Sam in his life, or kids, or family, or friends. He’s not trying to throw himself a pity party. He’s just saying he’s had to scratch and claw for everything he’s ever gotten. Dante says, by choice. He’s got friends. Cody’s got him, he’s got Sam, he’s got Sasha. He has a family. He’s got a dad. He’s just got to let them in. Or maybe the money is of more value to him.

Maxie says, Lucy thinks she stole from her own company? but Lucy says, no. She doesn’t really think that. She doesn’t want to think that, but IT was very, very clear, the unauthorized download, that data came from Maxie’s computer and her computer only. Maxie says she accesses the shared file all the time. She was looking around in it yesterday, but she definitely didn’t download anything. Brook can back her up. Brook was with her. Remember? She was surprised to see Brook on her day off. Brook says, of course (🍷) she remembers that, and Lucy says, fine. Does Brook remember seeing Maxie download anything, or anybody at all download anything from Maxie’s computer?

Willow tells Nina that her immune system is still going to be compromised for a little while. The hardest part will be keeping Wiley and Amelia at a distance for a few weeks. It also means allowing a small bubble of friends and family to be in the same room with her. Nina says, Willow is including her in this bubble? and Willow says she wants to be very clear that Carly will be part of it too. She asked Nina this once before when she thought she was dying, but it’s even more important to her now when she has so much to live for. Feuding and the need for vengeance have to stop immediately. If Nina wants to be part of her life, she has to make peace with Carly.

Walking into Sonny’s old kitchen and admiring the moss bowl🎍, Diane apologizes for being late. She ran into Tracy Quartermaine. Carly says, enough said, but her timing’s perfect, and Sam guesses that’s her cue to go. Carly’s in good hands. She leaves, and Carly says, Diane made sure she got this house when she and Sonny divorced. Now she needs Diane to make sure she’ll get top dollar when she puts this house on the market. Diane asks if she’s seriously thinking of selling, and Carly says, please don’t try to talk her out of it. She just went through that with Sam, and this is the only chance she has. There’s nothing else she can do. Diane says, how Carly underestimates her.

Maxie says, her computer may have been the entry point, but why would she want to download files she already has access to? What would be her reason for doing that? Lucy says, that is curious. She’s right. But if Maxie didn’t do it, who did?

Martin says, doubtless, Tracy has her own history with Lucy. Fortunately, his lady love and he share a great many things in common, including an unshakable faith in each other. She says, that’s adorable, but she was wondering if he would be interested in a little proposition.

Cody says, Dante can think what he wants, but he’s learned not to count on anyone but himself. Dante asks how that’s working out for him, and leaves.

Mac says, it’s a quarterly bank statement, and Felicia says, look at that. $50,000 is automatically deposited every month. James says, this puzzle isn’t any fun. All the pieces are the same. He’s getting a cookie. Mac asks James to get one for him too, please, and James goes to the kitchen. Felicia says, odds are those monthly deposits were made by Martin’s biggest client Valentin, and Mac says, but why aren’t the checks drawn from a bank here in Port Charles? She says, he’s right. They come from a town in Pennsylvania… Pine Valley.

Nina gives Willow her word. Her feud with Carly is officially over. Michael knocks at the door and comes in with Sonny. Sonny asks if Nina is okay, and coming out from the isolation area, Nina says she’s better than okay. Willow invited her into her bubble of friends and family. Sonny hugs Nina, and Willow asks if Michael is upset with her decision. He says, no, never. If she wants Nina included in her circle, he’s not going to stand in her way. Because her happiness means everything to him. Everything

Carly tells Diane that she doesn’t understand. All the equity she has is in the house. It’s all she has. Unless she sells it, she won’t be able to afford anything. Diane asks, who’s the lawyer here? At least let her make her case. She starts to show Carly something in a booklet.

I would have ended with the Pine Valley reveal, but okay.

Tomorrow, Tracy is prepared to offer someone a challenge; Marshall asks if he’s going to see Curtis at home tonight; Finn says, there will be no more romantic evenings for him and Elizabeth in the future; and Brook says, they have a problem.

🍊 RHOC This…

Why The Real Housewives of Orange County go on trips together is beyond me. Any Housewives trip is usually proof positive that the wrong people have all the money and get to take amazing vacations. And while this trip was indeed amazing, it wasn’t exactly Dubai. These women for sure don’t belong on a ranch. So even more puzzling.

Fancy Pants Heather was upset because Taylor had been belittling her career to Tamra. Taylor and Tamra were both equally guilty of making a little fun of Fancy Pants, but no surprise, Tamra pointed her finger at Taylor, and in her interview, Fancy Pants said she thought it would be disappointing if Tamra wasn’t supportive of her career, and felt she had no choice but to believe her. Clearly she doesn’t know Tamra, although Gina wondered why they were pretending Tamra was a saint. Also no surprise, Fancy Pants made a bigger deal of it than it was, and I’m sure there will be no end to it. Taylor thought she and Tamra had a tighter bond than that. Another one who clearly doesn’t know Tamra. Emily was spot-on in her interview, saying, Tamra would throw anyone under the bus, then drive the bus over them, and burn the bus so there would be no evidence.

There were all kinds of apologies between Tamra and Shannon, and in her interview, Fancy Pants said she was glad Tamra and Shannon were getting along, but hoped she didn’t end up being odd man out. Give it time. Like five minutes and a few tequilas.

Then there was the topic that wouldn’t die, Tamra yapping about new girl Jen’s infidelity or whatever, and how her boyfriend Ryan had claimed he wanted to do Tamra before he was doing Jen, even though he knew Tamra was married. Tamra ended up announcing this around the campfire, and Jen tried to explain that she hadn’t even held Ryan’s hand before she told her husband it was over. Fancy Pants whispered to Gina that she thought emotional affairs were worse, which just added fuel to Gina’s already emo fire. She wanted to call Travis and vent, but Fancy Pants warned her against it, saying, if she kept bringing up how she gets triggered, Travis would start thinking their relationship wasn’t solid. Gina still had some work to do, and he wasn’t her therapist or brother. Much as I hate to admit it, Fancy Pants was not wrong here. In Fancy Pants’s interview, she said, if Gina was still getting upset with something that happened years ago, maybe she wasn’t over it.

They drove tractors, roped, and shoveled poop, Fancy Pants wondering if Chanel made a shovel. Shannon wore overalls with one buckle undone, and… just no.

On the home front, Emily had gotten Annabelle signed with a modeling agency. She thought Annabelle needed some professionalism in her life, as they called her their feral child since she acted like they’d picked her up in the woods. We found out that Emily had modeled for department store ads when she was younger, and Shane had a talk show when he was a senior in high school on public access. Emily mused about it being in Annabelle’s DNA.

My vote for common denominator: Tamra.

Next time, rafting; Gina doesn’t listen to Fancy Pants, and talks to Travis anyway; Tamra tells Eddie about Ryan wanting to hit that; and Ryan insists it didn’t happen.

🎆 What They Did…

Probably not much different than what everyone else did.

💎 Keeping Quiet…

They might have read a little too much into this.

☎️ Prank Call, Prank Call…

You know how it is when you have a sleepover.

👠 Off With Their Heads…

Bravo keeps rewarding bad behavior, and won’t be happy until they end up with a lawsuit because of Teresa.

https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/8520777/rhonj-melissa-gorga-chopping-block-teresa-giudice-not-fired/

🥩 Chefs Outdone…

One of my favorite parts of any Deck in the franchise – food p*rn.

💸 No Villa For You…

I love the bit of amateur psychoanalysis at the end.

https://screenrant.com/vanderpump-rules-tom-schwartz-shady-tom-sandoval-vanderpump-villa/

🍸 Next Rules…

Probably not much you really need to know.

🦔 Ending With a Smile…

Lotsa cute pets here.

https://honey.nine.com.au/pets/celebrity-pets/daad8159-e6e9-497d-9f42-ca1c18069679

🌪 Monday Holiday Day Confusion…

Make a return trip tomorrow for soap and random cups of tea. Until then, stay safe, stay not expecting someone else to clean up after you, and stay knowing your memories aren’t bound by four walls and a roof. They come with you wherever you go.

July 4, 2023 – Big Oops, Yesterday’s GH, Together Or Not, Morgan May Spin, No Dracarys Here, Today & America

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What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)

My bad. I swear I read the soaps weren’t on Monday, and since most people were off Monday, it made sense. Oops. So here’s a quick(er) recap of yesterday’s GH. Tomorrow, we’ll be back to our regularly scheduled more information than you need.

General Hospital

Sam goes to see Carly and the moss bowl🎍. Sam tells Carly about Drew having to say goodbye to Scout, then having to console Scout afterward. Scout’s devastated. She lost her dad once, and now she did again.

Drew drops by Sonny’s penthouse, and tells him that he’s leaving for Pentenville today. Sonny wonders why he’s here instead of with his family, and Drew says, unfinished business.

Dante stops by Mac’s office, and Mac says, something interesting crossed his desk that he thinks Dante should see.

Sasha has an appointment with Dr. Montague, and Gladys tells her not to push herself too hard. Gladys knows she wants to end the guardianship, but she can’t rush mental health. Sasha says she just got an email from Gelhorn Jewelers. They’ve dropped the larceny charges against Cody. Gladys is sure they have their reasons, and Sasha has the feeling Gladys knows what they are.

At the pool, Scotty asks Cody to sign an affidavit so they can do business with the WSB. He has the feeling they’re going to play hardball. Cody asks if he’s going to be investigated, and Scotty tells him that the S in WSB stands for Security. Is that going to be a problem?

Michael tells Willow that Dr. Randolph isn’t meeting with them today, but sending someone familiar with the case. They have to believe it’s good news. TJ comes in and asks how Willow is feeling. She says anxious, and asks if he has the results. He says he asked Terry if he could deliver the news; it’s life changing. As a friend, he felt it might be better coming from him. From all accounts, the bone marrow transplant was a success.

Mac tells Dante that Gelhorn Jewelers dropped the charges against Cody after determining the clasp on Glady’s bracelet was faulty. A witness came forward. Dante reads that a waiter discovered the bracelet on the floor, and thought it belonged to the jacket above it. That’s weird. Mac says the waiter slipped the bracelet into Cody’s pocket, leading him to slip handcuffs on Cody. He imagined himself Cody’s father, not his arresting officer. Dante flashes back to finding out Mac is Cody’s father, and Mac says he wants to deliver the news himself.

Cody tells Scotty that the charges about the bracelet won’t stick. All it cost him was a new friend.

Sasha says, Gladys didn’t seem surprised or upset, and Gladys explains about the waiter finding the bracelet and putting it in Cody’s pocket. Sasha asks if Gladys is ready to admit the truth that she was wrong about Cody.

Drew tells Sonny that he’s said most of his goodbyes, and spent time with Scout. At least it’s not forever. Drew brought a guitar with him for Ned/Eddie. He’s hoping Ned’s favorite guitar will help bring back some memories. Sonny says, Ned took off, but he’s got his eye on Ned, and he’s not the only one.

Carly asks Sam to be honest about how she feels, and Sam says she’s unhappy and pretty angry. She wishes Drew would have made a different choice, and Carly says she does too. Sam says, Drew deserves peace and happiness, and sacrificed it again because of Carly. Carly doesn’t blame Sam for feeling the way she does, and wants to fix it for Drew, and Sam says, but Drew wants to fix it for Carly, which speaks volumes about how much he cares.

Sonny says he knows Drew was made an offer to flip on him. Drew could have given them damaging information and didn’t. Drew says, Carly would never turn Sonny in and neither would he. Besides it’s his debt to pay. Sonny says he’s not going to forget what Drew did for him and Carly. He has eyes in Pentenville who will look out for Drew. Drew says he appreciates it, but doesn’t think he’ll need it. Sonny tells him, keep your eyes open and your chin up.

Gladys says she was wrong about Cody, but he was wrong about her too. She’s not some diabolical mother-in-law. Sasha asks why Gladys didn’t tell her before she got the email, and Gladys says she didn’t want to distract Sasha before her appointment. She also thought Sasha would be angry because she’d blamed Sasha’s friend, but Sasha says, it was just a big misunderstanding. But the person Gladys should apologize to is Cody. Dr. Montague is ready for Sasha, and Gladys says she hopes she didn’t cause problems for Sasha and Cody, but Sasha says, there is no her and Cody.

Scotty says, after Cody signs the affidavit, he’ll have plenty of friends, and they’ll all look like Benjamin Franklin. It should prove he’s Leopold Taub’s son. Taub had no living relatives, so no one is going to contest it. This, and his birth certificate, will do the trick, unless the WSB decides to exhume Taub’s body. Can Cody cry on cue? The WSB were stupid and careless in losing the necklace, and Cody will suffer when they dig up dear old dad. They should push for it. Cody says, please don’t.

TJ says, they need six months to a year to know if Willow is for sure in remission, but they’re encouraged; there are no visible leukemia cells in the blood or bone. Willow can go home. Her immune system is still compromised, so they’ll have to make consideration for that. Willow wonders if it’s a dream, but TJ says, once she gets her meds and instructions, she can go home. Michael says he doesn’t think it’s a good idea. The gatehouse isn’t ready. Willow suggests they stay somewhere else temporarily, but Michael wonders if it’s safe. The kids carry germs; they can’t risk infection. TJ says, exposure to illness like chicken pox could be deadly because all her immunizations were wiped out, but they’ll go over it before she leaves. She says, it sounds like she’ll still be in isolation.

Sam says she realized Drew and Carly were a couple before Carly did. She’s happy for them, and if there was no other way out, she’s glad Drew stepped up for Carly. Her family needs her. Carly says she misses him already, and asks if Sam wants coffee. Sam says she hasn’t had coffee today because the kitchen is Dante’s domain, and tells Carly that they need to talk about all that Carly’s lost.

Gladys goes to Sonny’s, and asks if he talked to Sasha about not ending the guardianship. He says he did, and doesn’t blame Gladys for being concerned.

Sasha tells Dr. Montague that things are back on track, and he says he doesn’t want her to view the sessions as vehicles to prove herself to him. His purpose is to see if the guardianship should be ended, but he’s also here to help, and needs her to be honest. She says she is, but he says, she seemed troubled since she walked in. Does she want to tell him what’s making her so anxious?

Mac and Dante go to the pool, and tell Cody that they have news. Mac says the jeweler’s insurance company dropped the charges, and Cody says, that’s great. Dante says, Cody gets more excited about a chicken parmesan, and Cody says, to be fair. Mama Q’s chicken parm is perfection, but he knew he was innocent. What changed their minds? Mac says, a witness came forward and said they put the bracelet in Cody’s pocket, and Scotty says, the truth prevailed. He leaves to file the affidavit, and Mac asks to talk to Cody. Before Scotty can jet, Dante asks him what he and Cody are up to.

Drew hands over his possessions and gets frisked. There’s a song part while he does the equivalent of checking in; fingerprinting, photo, that sort of thing. A guard takes him to his cell, and from the hallway Cyrus says, it’s certainly not the MetroCourt, but it may be a step up from a leaky makeshift prison on a Greek island.

Mac tells Cody that he’s glad the charges were dropped but he had to do it, and Cody says he won’t hold it against Mac. Mac says he’s glad to see Cody and Scotty are on good terms, considering Cody punched Scotty when he first got to Port Charles. So Cody trusts Scotty? Careful with that.

Dante asks what the letter was about that Cody was signing, but Scotty says he’s not at liberty to talk about that. Dante wonders if Scotty is representing Cody in another matter, but Scotty says, Dante knows about lawyer/client privilege. Why is he concerned? Dante says he’s concerned that Cody is being scammed by Scotty.

Sasha says, what isn’t making her anxious these days? She guesses she feels the pressure of getting this right. He says, it sounds normal, and understandable. Has she tried meditation? She says she prefers yoga, but he asks her to try an app he recommends. She says she would like to feel more centered, and he says he has something else for her.

TJ says, Michaels concerns are valid. At first, Willow can only have physical contact with immediate family and a small number of friends, It’s crucial she avoids close contact with anyone’s who’s sick, and recommends they all wear masks. A nurse will be by with the information and medication. Willow says, he’s been invaluable as a doctor and friend, and he says he has to leave before he blushes. Michael says, the nightmare’s over, and she says, maybe they’ll get their happily ever after.

Carly tells Sam that it’s hard for her to wrap her head around all she’s lost in the past two years. Her husband, Jason, her hotel, now Drew. The $5 million SEC fine pales in comparison. Sam asks if she has it, but Carly says, even if she secures a loan, she still can’t afford it. She’s sick thinking about Drew in prison, and what she’s going to face out here. She doesn’t know what she’s going to do. What really pisses her off is that they’re in this position because of spite.

Drew says, Cyrus knows him, but who’s he? and Cyrus says he’s Drew’s brother in Christ. Blessed are ye who weep now, for ye shall laugh. He’s glad Drew isn’t weeping over his circumstances, and Drew says he’s learned time passes either way. Cyrus says his group would benefit from Drew’s outlook. They meet twice weekly in the library. Their brotherhood is founded on shared values, not on prejudice or partisanship. The minute he heard Drew was headed to Pentenville, he knew Drew’s place was with them.

Michael says, the gatehouse will be immaculate for Willow’s arrival, and he has no problem gatekeeping. Her health is all that matters. She promises to be good, and he asks who she wants to see. Sasha, Chase? She says, yes to both, but there might be someone else she wants to add.

Sam says, Carly has people who will help, but Carly says she’s not going to take a handout. Sam asks, what about Donna? and Carly says, thankfully, she’ll always be taken care of by her father. Sam says, what about Donna’s mother? but Carly says she’s handled setbacks before. The MetroCourt was a real blow, but she handled it and she’ll handle this. She just doesn’t know how yet. Sam admires her grit, and Carly says, they have that in common. Sam says, something she’s learned in the past few years is, it’s okay to ask for help and push your foolish pride aside.

Sonny tells Gladys that Sasha admitted she was nervous about ending the guardianship, and Gladys says, see? She’s not ready. Sonny says, it seems realistic to him. Nothing Sasha said indicated she’s not ready. So if she’s ready and the doctor and judge say yes, they’re going to stay out of her way.

The doctor gives Sasha a prescription bottle, and tells her to take five milligrams three times daily; it’s a mild sedative. It will help manage her anxiety and is often prescribed in conjunction with antidepressants. She asks if it’s habit-forming, and he says he’ll be monitoring her intake. He’s confident it won’t be a problem… unless she doesn’t feel in control. She says she does feel in control – totally.

Dante says he doesn’t want to see Cody getting in any more trouble, but Scotty says, everything they’re working on is aboveboard. There’s no scheme here.

Cody says, it seems Mac is always warning him against someone, and Mac says he’s not putting Scotty in Selina’s category, but he wants Cody to be careful around her. He promised not to interfere, and he won’t. Cody says, Scotty’s his legal counsel, and Mac apologizes. He’s prying. They might not be related, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t want what’s best for Cody.

Drew asks why all the interest in him, and Cyrus tells him, don’t be so modest. His story is well known. Business mogul, prominent family, philanthropist. Navy SEAL hero turned prisoner, turned free man. Drew says, turned prisoner again, and Cyrus says, yet one more chapter in Drew’s fascinating story. Far from the end. It’s easy to lose faith behind bars, and he believes Drew’s presence at their meeting will help restore faith to some of their brothers. He thinks Drew will find great comfort in this book of prayers. He hands Drew a Bible, and Drew says he didn’t catch Cyrus’s name. Cyrus says, just call him Brother Cy, and Drew says, as in Cyrus? Cyrus says, Renault, and Drew says, Laura’s brother? Cyrus asks how his dear sister is, and Drew says, the Cyrus Renault whose drug trafficking caused overdoses and nearly killed Sasha Gilmore? Cyrus says his past is lamentable, and Drew says, he tried to kill Britt Westbourne. Cyrus says, thank God he wasn’t successful, and Drew says, Cyrus can thank his late brother Jason Morgan for that. He hands back the Bible, and says, and God help Cyrus, if Cyrus ever approaches him again.

TJ says, it’s official. Willow’s discharge is being processed. She can stay as long as she wants, but she’s free to leave once she’s reviewed all of her medication and instructions. He can’t stress enough that they need to protect her immune system, and not see people outside of her limited bubble. Michael says, they’ve got it, and they thank TJ. He says he’s so happy for them, and leaves. Willow says, he’s been a godsend, and Michael asks if she wants to add TJ to her bubble. She says, yes, but she was thinking of someone else, and he might not be happy. He says, whatever she wants, and she says she thinks her bubble should include Nina.

Carly tells Sam, maybe she’s being prideful, but it’s her mess. She has to clean it up, but she’s risen from the ashes before. Sam trusts Carly will get the clarity she needs. As long as she keeps her iron will, a roof over her head, and her freedom, she’ll think of something. Carly says, Sam’s right, and thanks to Sam, she’s figured out a way to use all three.

Gladys tells Sonny that Sasha has no idea of how stressful it will be to be on her own, having responsibility for her finances… having to make decisions where Deception is concerned. She might buckle under the weight. Sonny says, she’s made her point, but she has to understand something. It’s not up to her anymore. Give it up. Gladys leaves.

Dr. Montague says, Sasha is doing good, and if it continues, he’ll be able to give the judge a positive report. She thanks him for listening. It means everything. He says, they all need support. Talk therapy, meditation, and the prescription are all parts of a consistent wellness plan. He’ll see her next week. He goes into his office and calls Gladys. She asks if he did it, and he says, her daughter-in-law is on a new prescription regimen. It’s only a matter of time. If Gladys having second thoughts, he can invent an excuse for Sasha to bring back the medication. Gladys says, no. Let’s move forward. It’s the only move she has left.

Dante wants Scotty’s assurance nothing shady is going on, and Cody’s not going to get burned by what he just signed. Scotty asks what kind of a lawyer Dante takes him for, and Dante says, a sketchy one with a bag of tricks. Scotty says, this time it’s torts, not tricks. And just for his information, all lawyers have a sketchy bag of tricks. Dante says, tort? Like a civil lawsuit? Scotty tells him not to worry about Cody, and leaves.

Cody says he doesn’t mind Mac looking out of him. It’s unnerving, but nice. Mac says, don’t think of him as a cop, but a friend, and Cody says he already does.

Cyrus says, unlike them, the word of the Lord is free; no strings attached. Drew says, forgive him if he doesn’t believe that, and Cyrus says he does. He’s a big believer in the power of forgiveness, as he is in second chances. Take the book and don’t throw it away until he peruses its pages. He’ll find its lessons very useful. Drew takes it, and Cyrus leaves. Drew opens the Bible, and finds it’s hollowed out with a screwdriver inside.

Tomorrow, Cody asks Dante, what if he doesn’t want out of it; Lucy tells Maxie that there’s a snake in their midst; Sonny tells Nina, never say never; and Tracy asks someone if they’re in or they’re out.

🔁 It’s On, It’s Off, It’s Confusing…

Take your pick. Although even if Allison Dubois was right (which was actually the first thing I thought of), it doesn’t make her any less of an a-hole.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/other/the-real-housewives-of-beverly-hills-couple-kyle-richards-mauricio-umansky-split-report-medium-allison-dubois-reacts/ar-AA1dntq5

https://ew.com/tv/real-housewives-of-beverly-hills-kyle-richards-mauricio-umansky-separated/

⚰️ Spinning Into the Spin…

I can take or leave Rick, but I wouldn’t mind seeing Morgan again. I miss him already.

https://ew.com/tv/fear-the-walking-dead-lennie-james-morgan-rick-reunion/

🐉 She Knows Something, Jon Snow…

I doubt anyone thought otherwise, but who knows with this show?

https://ew.com/tv/emilia-clarke-wont-be-in-jon-snow-spin-off-game-of-thrones/

🎆 Declare This…

The facts of the day.

https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/july-04/

😔 It’s Not Really the Hardest Word…

Sorry again. I was actually going to double-check yesterday, but I was all wrapped up in Netflixland. For real, there’s no new Deck tonight; just never before seen nonsense and nobody needs to see more than we have already. Join me tomorrow for soap and OC smack talk. Until then, stay safe, stay leaving the fireworks to the professionals, and stay forming brotherhoods on shared values, not on prejudice or partisanship.

June 30, 2023 – Curtis Confronts Jordan, Returning, New Gig, Copy Cannoli, Shams Now, Runway, Vander This, Real Bonkers, Midyear Roll Call, Pick a Trailer, Winning, Mixed Quotes, Pet (!) Safety & Carry On

Standard

What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)

General Hospital

Spencer leaves a message for Trina to call him, when Esme walks in with an ice pack. He screams at her to get out.

Finn says he’s sorry, and Elizabeth asks what he’s apologizing for. He says he’s not sure, but he thought he should, and she says, he has nothing to be sorry for. Tonight was really… Violet runs in, calling, daddy! and Finn asks, what’s wrong? She says, Aunt Elizabeth can’t leave; not yet.

Sonny thanks Sasha for coming by, and she says, of course (🍷). She always loves spending time with him. He asks if he can get her anything, but she says she’s good. She’s curious as to what he wanted to talk about, and he says, her future.

In Portia’s office, Trina hears Spencer yell at Esme to get out, and he says, sorry. He’ll call her later. Portia comes in and apologizes for keeping her waiting; she wanted to talk to Trina. Trina says she wanted to talk to Portia too, and Portia says, about Spencer? Trina says, no, about Curtis. She knows what he did.

Zeke calls Jordan and says he knows it’s late notice, but is she free for dinner tonight? She says she’s free, but she has no interest in spending time with him, and he asks if she doesn’t think they should clear the air. She says, as far as she’s concerned, the air is crystal clear; they’re done. There’s a knock at her office door, and she tells Zeke to hold on. She says, yes? and Curtis walks in.

Austin kisses Ava, and she pushes him away. But then she changes her mind and kisses him. Suddenly, they’re in the bedroom getting busy. Alrighty then.

Elizabeth asks if Violet had a bad dream, and Violet nods. Finn asks if it was the shadow again, and she says, it was. It was scary. She tried to find Finn, but she couldn’t. Aunt Elizabeth was gone too. He says, they’re both right here for her, and Elizabeth says, her dad has been here the whole time. They’ve both been here. Violet says, what if she falls asleep again? What if the shadow comes back, and she can’t find either of them again? Finn kisses the top of her head and tells her, it’s okay.

Sasha says, that wasn’t at all what she expected Sonny to say, and he tells her that he and Gladys were talking. She told him that Sasha was ready to end the guardianship. Sasha says, that is true. She’ll forever be grateful to Gladys for everything she’s done, but she doesn’t want to be a burden on her anymore. Sonny says, she’s not a burden to anyone. They just care about her and want to see her get on her own two feet. She says, that means a lot, but her decision is just partly about Gladys. She just thinks it’s time. He says, what if he told her that Gladys thinks she’s not ready, and she asks if Gladys came to see him about her. Sonny says, Gladys thinks she’s rushing things and she’s worried, and Sasha says, so is she.

Spencer says he told Esme that he was fine; now go. She says she’s not going anywhere. He could have a broken rib or internal bleeding. He says he has neither, and she says, because of all the medical expertise he has? What happened to him anyway? Did someone attack him? He says, we just got in a little fight, and she asks, who is we? Someone he knows or did he get in a fight with a complete stranger? He asks if it would matter. What does she care? She throws the ice bag, hitting him, and he yells, ow! She asks if he thought about what it would mean if he got hurt or arrested. Did he even stop and think what it would mean? He says, it happened kind of fast, and she says, then they answer is no. He didn’t think.  

Jordan tells Zeke that she’s sorry, but she can’t talk right now, and hangs up. She says she can guess what Curtis is here about, and he says, it’s not to get in an argument if that’s what she’s thinking. She says, good. He shouldn’t be angry. Not at her anyway. He says he just can’t understand why she’d tell Portia about their kiss when they agreed that it was best they keep it to themselves. If she changed her mind, why didn’t she talk to him first? She says she tried to warn him, and he says, right. Then she decided she knew what was best, and telling Portia couldn’t wait. She says she didn’t say a thing to Portia about their kiss. She never wanted Portia to find out at all. He says, if she didn’t tell Portia, who did?

Portia tells Trina, obviously, she’s very hurt. She and Curtis both made mistakes. Trina asks why Portia wants to let him off the hook that easy, but Portia says she’s not letting him off the hook. This is complicated. Trina says, he kissed another woman – his ex-wife. Why isn’t she angry at him? Portia asks why Trinia is getting all riled up about this? And Trina says, it was wrong. Is Portia really going to roll over and let him treat her like this? Portia says, this has nothing to do with Trina.

Like the Burger King employee who starts cleaning around your table while you’re still eating, Ava makes the bed around Austin. He asks if she’s really making the bed now; he’s still in it. She picks up his clothes, and wonders where his other sock is, and he says, on the sconce. She retrieves it, and he says, this is weird. Is this her thing? Is this like a post-coital clean-up thing? He’s okay with it, but it’s a little neurotic. She says she’s not neurotic, and he says, she’s orderly? She’s neat? She’s tidy, right? Is she coming back to bed? She looks at him, and he says, all right. Not too long ago, they were almost yelling at each other and were at each other’s throats, and they decided to do something else. Is that something they need to talk about? Ava says, they’re done talking, and she’s not coming back to bed. He’s leaving – she tosses his clothes at him – now.

Finn says he’ll be here if Violet needs him for anything, and she asks if Aunt Elizabeth can come in with him. He says, Aunt Elizabeth has to go home to her kids, but he promises she’ll come in and say goodnight before she leaves. She says she likes it when Aunt Elizabeth is here. Doesn’t he?

Jordan says she’s not getting in the middle of this. This is between Curtis and Portia. He asks if she’s respecting boundaries after the damage is already done, and she says, he can believe her or not. He says, she obviously knew it was coming. Otherwise, why would she try to warn him? If she didn’t tell Portia, who did? N’neka? She was at the club that night. Jordan asks if he really thinks N’neka saw them kissing and then went running to tell Portia, and he asks what he’s supposed to think. Who else could it have been? She says, it was his brother-in-law. Zeke is the one who told Portia.

Trina asks why Portia is trying to protect her. She’s not a child anymore. Portia says, Trina is always going to be her child. And she’s not protecting Trina in the way Trina thinks. Trust her. This is her attempt at being fair. She’s a grown woman and needs to figure out her relationship with Curtis on her own. Trina says, why? She’s right here. Portia can tell her anything. Portia says she appreciates Trina for saying that, but she doesn’t want Trina involved in any issues that she has, with Curtis or with her marriage. She doesn’t want Trina to have to think about that. She doesn’t want her to have baggage when she’s dealing with Curtis. Trina shouldn’t have to be taking sides or keeping secrets or any of that. She doesn’t want Trina to worry about any of this. Trina’s phone rings, and Trina looks at it and puts it back down, saying, it’s just Spencer. Portia says, she usually can’t pick up the phone fast enough for Spencer. Is she feeling okay? Did they have a fight? Trina says, no, they didn’t, but Spencer did.

Esme comes back into Spencer’s room, reading from her phone that rib fractures can have short term consequences, such as severe pain while breathing, pneumonia, or death. He says he thought she didn’t want to be around him, and she says, long term consequences are also possible, such as, decreased lung function and chronic pain. How is he going to yell at people if his lungs are damaged. Did he ever think of that? He says he didn’t realize she cared so much, and she says she’s calling a doctor, but he says, don’t do that. He doesn’t have a broken rib. She says, he might not know that until symptoms develop later, and he says, if they do, he’ll contact a doctor at that time. Please stop worrying about him. She tells him, who says she’s worried? She just doesn’t want to have to take him to the emergency room in the middle of the night. It would throw off Ace’s whole sleep schedule. He says, his mistake. It’s not about him, which makes sense, because in her eyes, he’s not worth worrying about. To her, he’s always going to be his father’s son.

Ava tries to toss Austin his keys, but misses, and they end up on the floor. She says, take a hint, will you? and he says, she’s throwing him out. She says, nothing gets by him, and he says, except his keys. They laugh, and she says, they both know this was a mistake, but they’re adults and can skillfully pretend it didn’t happen. Now get a move on. His shoes are next, and she’ll have much better aim. He says, she doesn’t need to do that. He doesn’t want to stay somewhere he’s not wanted. But just so she knows, he feels what went on here wasn’t a mistake. She says, if it weren’t for Nikolas’s accidental death, they wouldn’t even be here. They would hardly know each other. He says, but they do know each other, and they are here. And he thinks there are actual literal scratches on his back that let him know she thinks there are worse ways to spend an evening.

Finn says, yes, he likes when Elizabeth is here, but doesn’t Violet think her cousins would miss Elizabeth if she was here all the time? She says, they could come too, or she and Finn could go there, and he says, oh boy. Elizabeth comes out of the kitchen, and asks how Violet would like some of her special sleepy time magic milk. Finn asks how she knew about that, and she says, all the moms know. Violet asks if she put in the secret ingredient, and Elizabeth says, of course (🍷). It wouldn’t be magic without it. Violet takes a sip, and says, it tastes different than when daddy makes it. Aunt Elizabeth’s is better… but his is good too.

Sasha says she thinks she’s doing the right thing by ending her guardianship, but she wishes she was sure, and Sonny asks what doubts she’s having. She says, some days she feels strong and confident and healthy, and other days are just so-so; everything feels off. It feels like she’s just pretending to hold it together. Those don’t bother her so much. She’s used to those. He says, they all have so-so days, and she says, those aren’t the days that scare her. The days that terrify her are the bad days; the days when the darkness just comes back, because it will happen for no reason at all. She’ll be putting sugar in her coffee, then suddenly she’ll remember when she was pregnant and couldn’t have caffeine. It was the worst, but it was totally worth it. She loved her baby so much, and couldn’t wait to meet him. Then she’s remembering her baby is gone, and the sadness just takes over, and it just feels like a weight pressing down on her heart, and it scares her. She doesn’t know, was that a memory or was it just a delusion? Did she somehow think she was pregnant again? He says, they both know what grief does. It plays tricks on your mind, and messes with your sense of time. Sasha says, that’s what she thinks too. The next day might be so-so again, and the day after that might be good. So does it scare her thinking about being on her own again and making her own decisions? Yes, but something inside of her is telling her that she’s ready, and she thinks it’s time she starts listening to that voice. Maybe she’s making a mistake. What does he think? Does he think she’s doing the wrong thing in trusting herself?

Austin says he can see that Ava doesn’t want to discuss their relationship, and she says, they don’t even have a relationship. They’re being blackmailed together; that’s it. He says he does enjoy her company, and she says, they were yelling at each other just a while ago. He says, almost. They were trying to release some of the pressure, and clearly some tension… She says, he’s really sure of himself, but he says, not at all. It’s just really difficult for him to let people in. He doesn’t want to speak for her, but it’s hard to make a human connection. He’s just saying, let’s be honest, and admit to one another they just had a profound physical connection. She says, he lied to her. He kidnapped her daughter, and how he’s saying she owes him honesty? He says he can see where she’s going with this. Under certain terms… She says, a little advice for him. Don’t ever pull a stunt like that again. Because if he does, the next body she dumps in the stables is going to be his.

Esme tells Spencer that she doesn’t know much about Nikolas, except he kept her locked in a tower because he wanted to keep her baby away from her. She knows if given the chance, Spencer would do the same. Spencer flashes back to looking at the fake evidence and saying, just in case. He says he just wants to take care of his brother, and she says, that’s the difference between him and Nikolas. At least he’s here. Nikolas isn’t, and since they moved into Spencer’s grandmother’s, he’s been pretty reliable. Up until now. What happened tonight? He says he got into a fight with Josslyn’s new boyfriend. She says, why? and he says, because he was angry. Because he doesn’t like him. He doesn’t like what he did. Josslyn was dating Cameron when she met Dex, and she was still seeing him when Josslyn and Dex got together for the first time. She asks why he’s mad at Dex. Isn’t it Josslyn… He says, she wouldn’t understand; there’s more to it than that. He doesn’t understand why they’re talking about this, because she’s literally the last person he wants to confide in. She says, well, that’s dumb. Because she might be the only person who actually understands. He says, why is that? and she says, because she does it too. She gets angry. She lashes out. She makes choices she regrets. She makes mistakes, and the worst part is that when she does, everyone is just looking around judging her, like, oh look, here she goes again to her old lying ways. I knew she couldn’t be trusted. He says, and you’ve confirmed all of their worst suspicions about you, and she says, and they have no idea the entire time you were just trying to do the right thing.

Trina says, last night, she went to the Highsider, and Portia says, the biker bar where Oz Haggerty worked? Trina says, they were looking for evidence to prove Esme is guilty, and Portia says, let her guess. This little excursion was Spencer’s idea? Trina says, not exactly, and Portia says she doesn’t even care whose idea it was. She doesn’t like Trina going to that place. Trina says she wasn’t going to that place. Anyway, Joss had the same idea. She brought Dex, and Spencer picked a fight again. Portia says, so it looks like Spencer is back to his old ways, and Trina says, yes. She doesn’t even recognize him anymore. Portia says, really? Because she can. To her, he will always be the boy who lied to her daughter and put her in harm’s way.

Curtis asks how Zeke knew what happened between him and Jordan, and she says she told him. Curtis asks why she did that, and she says she didn’t know who he was. She just found out Curtis was moving back in with Portia, and needed someone to talk to. Zeke was just a friendly stranger with a sympathetic ear. They met at the MetroCourt, and she started venting. She didn’t use any names. She just told him that she’d kissed her ex, but it wasn’t going anywhere. He says, if she didn’t use any names, how did he figure it out? and she says, Portia introduced them. It didn’t take Zeke long to put two and two together. She told him to keep it to himself, but he said he had to tell her. Curtis doesn’t understand how she could tell a perfect stranger something so personal about them. It’s just not like her. She says she needed someone to confide in. He had Portia, and she was all alone. There’s a knock at the door, and she says, now that he knows, she doesn’t see what else there is to talk about. She opens the door, and Zeke is there. No surprise.

Jordan says, she didn’t have time to talk to Zeke on the phone. What made him think she had time for him to come by her office. He says he didn’t know Curtis was going to be here. Didn’t Curtis tell his sister that it was over between him and Jordan? Curtis says, that’s none of his business. Doesn’t he think he’s caused enough problems between him and Portia? Zeke says he wouldn’t have gotten involved if Curtis had just been honest with Portia from the beginning, and Curtis says he bets Zeke just can’t wait to run back to Portia and tell her that he was here. Zeke says, after what Curtis put his sister through, what does he expect? and Curtis says he expects Zeke to keep his damn mouth shut, or he and Curtis are going to have a problem.

Trina says she remembers how Spencer treated her, but he’s changed, and Portia says, has he though? Because the fight Trina’s describing makes her think he’s still working on it. Trina says, Portia thinks she’s being naïve, but Portia tells her that she didn’t say that. Portia tells Trina that she sees what Trina’s saying with Spencer. He has made significant strides in growing up since Trina’s met him. Largely because of Trina. Trina says, yes, he has, and Portia says, he’s more mature now, asking for help when he needs it… and he seems like he’s really taking the responsibility of Ace seriously with Esme. And Esme’s even seriously open to taking a parenting class with Spencer, which goes to show his responsibility, right? That’s a good sign. But by the look on Trina’s face, maybe it’s not a good sign? Trina says she’s glad Spencer is being responsible toward Ace, and Portia says, but what? Trina says, it’s nothing, but Portia says she’s Trina’s mom; she knows Trina. Trina can talk to her. Trina says she doesn’t care about the class. She can’t stand the thought of Spencer spending even one extra second with Esme.

Spencer says, sounds like they’re both trying to be better people, and Esme says, he’s just now figuring that out? Yes. Obviously, she’s been trying to be better. She takes the ice, and puts it on his side, and he holds it there. He says, it’s possible he hasn’t been giving her much of a chance, but she says, it’s not a big deal. She sits on the bed, and says she actually gets why it might be hard for him. He says, for him, why? and she says, he actually remembers the terrible person he was. She has to be told about herself over and over. He says, that’s hard, and she says, constantly hearing what a terrible person you are from everyone. He’s the only one who never talks about their history. They dated in boarding school, right? He sits on the other end of the bed, and says, for like a year. He doesn’t like to remember that time. She says, understandable. But tell her, were they really these awful people, destroying everything they touched? He laughs and says, no, not always. He was very unhappy when they met. He was estranged from his father and had a big chip on his shoulder because of that. He didn’t have any friends; just people who wanted to get close to him because he had money. So he was a bit of a jerk because of that. She says, him? A jerk? No way. He says he met her, and she really listened to him, and she took an interest in his life and didn’t just tell him what he wanted to hear because he’s a Cassadine. He started to depend on her, more than he thinks she knew, but none of it was real. She was manipulating him the entire time. She was his first love, and she was just using him.

Elizabeth asks how Violet is, and Finn says, finally asleep. Apparently, her milk is more magical than his. She says, cinnamon, and he says he can’t thank her enough. She’s really good with Violet. Elizabeth says she’s glad he feels that way. She was hoping she wasn’t overstepping with her magic milk. He says, not at all, and she says her boys are growing up. With Cameron all the way in California, she’s just been feeling it lately. He says, they’ll always need her, and she says she knows, but not in the same way. She guesses she has to let them grow up at some point; at least she’s been told. He says, Violet’s always here if her momage gets too strong. Violet always loves seeing her. She says, be careful. She’ll be over here every night making magic milk… She’s kidding. He says he knows, and they both get up and start talking at the same time. He says, she needs to get home to the boys, and she says she should. Even though they won’t be nearly as happy to see her as Violet was. He says, Violet, and him.

Sonny tells Sasha, know what he thinks? She didn’t tell him that she’s fine, she doesn’t need anybody, and she’s all better. She says she only wishes she were that confident, but he says, that’s a good thing. If she would have said that, he’d say she needed to spend a few more months with Gladys. In his experience, people who say everything’s great all the time usually aren’t. You can’t be great all the time, especially after what she’s gone through. She can handle a lot more than she thinks. That’s why he thinks it’s time for her to be on her own.

Zeke tells Curtis not to get mad at him because he kissed Jordan. He had to tell Portia. Curtis would have done the same thing if he’d been in Zeke’s position. Curtis says, that’s not what he’s talking about. Zeke told Trina – right after he found out Trina was his daughter – to steer clear of him? Zeke says he didn’t even get into any specifics with Curtis’s daughter, and Curtis says, that’s even worse, because he let her imagination run wild. She was just beginning to trust him. Zeke says, maybe she shouldn’t, and Jordan says, neither one of them should be trusted. Curtis asks her to remind him just how she and Zeke met in the first place.

Esme says she’s starting to see why Spencer’s so angry with her, but he says he’s angrier with himself for letting himself be manipulated by her. Esme tells him, sure, the old Esme was calculating, but she seriously doubts someone could fake a relationship for a whole year. He asks who she’s trying to make feel better, him or her? and she says, maybe both? She gets up, and says she thinks the old Esme must have really liked him… just a little. He says, it’s doubtful… Although… No. She says, what? and he says, there was this one time, he was trying to figure out what to get her for her birthday, so he was asking around. He asked the same friends who were leeching off him for money, and they told him that he should get her jewelry. Something expensive, which makes sense. So he did – she says, generous – but then there was this snow globe he got when he was a kid, and he’d taken it with him to school. It was so cheesy; two skiers on top of a mountain with a log cabin and fir trees. It was hideous. He doesn’t know why she liked it, but she did. She played with it every single time she came into his room. He couldn’t for the life of him figure out why. So at the last minute, he grabbed that as well. She says, instead of the jewelry? but he says he gave her both, just to be safe. Don’t get him wrong; she loved the jewelry. But her face when she saw the snow globe, the expression was pure joy. He’d never seen anything like it. He still can’t figure out why someone would have liked a regifted snow globe so much. She laughs and says she can. The old Esme really liked him.

Trina tells Portia, it wouldn’t bother her so much if it was anyone other than Esme. After what Esme did to her, Joss, and Cam, the thought of Esme being with Spencer makes her sick. Portia says, Esme needs to pay for her crimes, and hopefully, the evidence can be found to bring her to justice, but the PCPD have been down this road already, and they came up empty. Maybe they’ll never find anything. Hold on. Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t they have evidence, and a collective decision was made to hold off on that? Trina says, then what? Esme will just be in her life forever? Portia says, no one can predict the future, but if Spencer’s in Trina’s life and Ace is in his, then Esme will be in hers.

Esme says, if Spencer wants to get some rest, she can take the night shift with Ace, and he says, that would be great, thanking her. She walks to the door, and says, oh. Would he be willing to take a parenting class with her at the hospital? She wouldn’t ask, but Dr. Robinson thought it would be helpful… He says, it’s for Ace, right? and she says, exactly. He says, just let him know, and she thanks him, telling him to keep the ice on for another ten minutes. She leaves, and in the hallway, she smiles.

Trina says she can’t accept that Esme is going to be in her life. She wants to be with Spencer… At least she thought she did. Just not like this, spending all of his time with Esme, or raising a child on his own. Portia says, that’s what she’s been trying to get Trina to see. She has to have her own life. She’s smart and beautiful, and has so many opportunities. She has this whole big world she hasn’t tapped into yet. Please don’t make it smaller. Not when she doesn’t have to.

Curtis says he sees what’s going on here, and Zeke tells him, back off. It’s none of his business. Jordan says she can handle her own ex-husband, thank you. But Zeke’s right. Stay out of it. Curtis says, what happens between Jordan and Zeke is none of his business, but what happens with his daughter is. Zeke better think twice before he interferes again. Curtis walks out, and Zeke says, that was awkward. Now that he’s gone, they should talk. She says, there’s nothing to discuss. He knows the way out. He leaves.

Sasha says she’s glad they had this talk. She wasn’t sure she was making the right decision. He says, you never know if it’s the right decision, but she’s on the right track. She’s on her own, but he’s always here to back her, and he thinks Gladys is too. They hug, and he tells her to get out of here and live her life. She thanks him.

Elizabeth says she had a good time too, and Finn says, what she got was an eight-year-old’s version of the perfect date. He can’t thank her enough for letting Violet do that. She says, it was fun, and he says he’d drive her home, but… She says, his baby’s asleep, and she drove herself here. They say goodnight, and she leaves.

Austin says, if he leaves now he has to wake the boat launching guy. Wouldn’t it be better if he spent the night? She says, he could swim, as she hustles him out the door, but he says he’s exhausted, and he thinks she knows why. In fact, he’s willing to bet she’s going to sleep pretty soundly tonight. She closes the door in his face, and smiles.

Tomorrow, Sasha asks when Gladys is going to admit the truth; Mac tells Dante that something interesting crossed his desk; Sonny tells Drew to keep his eyes open and his chin up; and Cyrus says, Drew’s place is with them.

💣 Bible Thumping Bad Guy…

The second I heard Pentenville, I knew it.

💰 A Little Typecasting…

Except this time, he’ll be playing a real-life entitled brat.

👩🏻‍🍳 Anything But the Cannoli…

Everyone involved has too much time on their hands.

💳 Gone But Not Forgotten…

I loved this show, although the fight between MJ and Reza was brutal.

👗 Ruling the Runway…

This week’s Project Runway. This site’s recaps are the best. It’s odd I would like this show so much, since I can’t sew worth a damn. In the same vein, there are endless cooking shows I also enjoy. I guess those who can’t do, watch other people doing.

🍸 VanderStuff…

The fans aren’t having it.

I have no doubt the producers pump (no pun intended) up the drama, although I find the editing tactics more off-putting. Especially the thing about the galaxy lights. This site and I don’t see eye to eye on who the bad guys are on several shows either.

Heaven forbid this should ever happen, but they’re spot-on with their choices.

🐻 Out There…

I don’t remember most of these, and didn’t watch much of the ones I remember. It’s probably just as well.

🥀 So Far This Year…

Only six months in, and it’s already an unbelievably long list. I was sad to hear Alan Arkin passed today. If you’ve never seen The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, you’re missing a classic and an amazing performance by him.

https://ew.com/celebrity/stars-we-lost-in-2023-celebrity-deaths/

📽 Trailer Yourself…

You know I love the Barbie one.

https://ew.com/movies/best-movie-trailers-2023-golden-trailer-awards/

🐕 So Ugly They’re Cute…

There are no ugly dogs, but if there were, these would win. Please note there was a Pekingese finalist this year.

https://people.com/photos-2023-ugliest-dog-contest-winners-7553615

🐡 Quotes of the Week

The ability to discipline yourself to delay gratification in the short term in order to enjoy greater rewards in the long term, is the indispensable prerequisite for success. – Brian Tracy

Never stop just because you feel defeated. The journey to the other side is attainable only after great suffering. – Santosh Kalwar

When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love – then make that day count!Steve Maraboli

I’m a dirt person. I trust the dirt. I don’t trust diamonds and gold.Eartha Kitt

The best revenge is to be unlike those who performed the injury. – Marcus Aurelius

Having a cat is exactly like not having a cat except sometimes you see a cat.@uberjnet, Twitter

No man is great enough or wise enough for any of us to surrender our destiny to. The only way in which anyone can lead us is to restore to us the belief in our own guidance. – Henry Miller

The truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to find the ones worth suffering for. – Bob Marley

They’re filming this, Kevin. Shut up. – a hoarder to her husband on Hoarding: Buried Alive

That’s the trouble with your whole MTV, microwave dinner generation. You want it all now. You think you deserve it just because you want it? It doesn’t work like that. You have to earn it, you have to take it, you have to make it yours. but before you do that, Guy, you need to decide what it is you really want. – Buddy Ackerman (Kevin Spacey), Swimming with Sharks

🎆 Declaring My Independence…

There’s no soap or Deck on Monday, and I have no clue about Tuesday, since that’s the actual 4th, so see you whenever the soap falls next. Until then, stay safe, stay enjoying your 4th of July weekend, and stay not saying you’re great all the time if you really aren’t.

June 29, 2023 – Trina Walks Out On Spencer, Jackson, Not Guilty, Farewell, On Or Not, Fancy Feud, Andy’s Call, She’s a Tease, VanderNews, Dream Tour & Call Me

Standard

What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)

General Hospital

Elizabeth goes to Finn’s place, and he says, this is a pleasant surprise. What can he do for her? She says, he invited her here, and he looks confused. While she looks for the text, Violet comes out, and says, good. Aunt Elizabeth is in time for her dinner.

While she sips a martini, Ava flashes back to slapping Austin after realizing he took Avery. There’s a knock at her door, and Austin says, they need to talk before she gets them both killed.

Drew asks if Carly is okay, and she says she can’t believe this is their last night together, possibly for three years. It just feels so wrong. He says, it’s the only choice he could make. He couldn’t look at himself in the mirror, he couldn’t be a father to Scout, he couldn’t even hold his head up if he did otherwise.

At the hospital, Portia says she knows it was short notice when she asked Esme to stop by. And she brought the baby; he’s so adorable. He’s really growing, right? Esme says she just came from work, and Spencer was supposed to pick him up from daycare, but he had other plans. Portia says, that’s actually one of the reasons she called Esme over here. There’s something she thinks they should discuss. Esme asks, what about? and Portia says, Esme and Spencer, and how they plan to co-parent Ace.

Walking into the Highsider, Spencer says, Trina and Joss came here alone? She says, they sure did. There was a bar fight, the cops had to come, and they got carded. Hopefully, this visit will be less eventful. He says, Esme certainly picked the right spot to score a black-market phone, and Trina says she’s just hoping they can find a witness who can confirm that Oz Haggerty sold one to her, but he says, this whole thing is convoluted. They already had the evidence they needed. She says she’s talking about real proof. Maybe a bartender or a waitress saw Oz negotiating with Esme; maybe even saw him giving her the phone. He thinks it’s a waste of time, but she says, they need something real. Not some made up evidence that his Uncle Victor left him. Have a little faith. He says, forgive him for not being overly optimistic that they’ll get help or cooperation from a bunch of lowlifes. Josslyn walks in with Dex, and tells Spencer, maybe you’re the wrong person to be asking.

At the bar, Dante says, to us and a well-deserved night out, where no one will ever find us, and they clink beer bottles. She says she doesn’t know, looking over at Josslyn and the others. She hates to disappoint him.

Ava says she doesn’t want to see Austin right now, but he walks in anyway. He pours himself a drink, and she says she doesn’t remember offering him one, but he says he thinks a drink is the least she can owes him after what he did for her today. She asks if he means scaring her to death; making her believe her child had been kidnapped. He says, no. He means staging an incident that got the nanny out of the way without A, getting Avery kidnapped for real, and B, not getting her nanny killed. Because make no mistake, if Mason had thought even for one second that Pilar was inhibiting her ability to spy on Sonny, Pilar would meet up with a very unfortunate accident. That’s something he can’t live with. So he made the call. He thought it was better for Pilar to lose her job than lose her life. Bottoms up. She asks what the hell he’s gotten her into.

Esme tells Portia that Spencer is Ace’s brother, not his parent. Ace’s actual father Nikolas decided to run away rather than face justice for keeping her prisoner. That leaves her as his only parent. Portia says, from a legal standpoint, Esme is absolutely correct, but sometimes the daily realities of raising a child aren’t so cut and dried. In fact, if she remembers correctly, they’re exhausting and messy. She’s been there. She been in Esme’s situation, but knows what it’s like to have somebody who’s really supporting you 100%. That was her ex-husband Marcus Taggert, and for Esme, that appears to be Spencer. He’s clearly extremely devoted to his baby brother. Esme says, Spencer does care a great deal about Ace, but when it comes to actual caregiving, sometimes Spencer is available and accommodates, but sometimes not. It’s like a constant negotiation. Portia says, that’s why she thought it might be a good idea for Esme and Spencer to take a parenting class together.

Josslyn and Dex sit with Spencer and Trina, and Josslyn says she can’t believe this place hasn’t changed at all. Spencer says he can’t believe she and Trina came in there alone, like a couple of undercover agents, trying to get dirt on Esme. Josslyn says, and here they are again, and Trina says, but this time they’re not alone. Dex says, in case they start another barroom brawl? and Trina says, they didn’t start it. Spencer asks if this is the kind of place Dex is used to, and Dex says he’s seen his fair share of place like this, especially in the service. They’re all over the world; they have their advantages. I just have to say, this bar looks nothing like the way they’re making it sound. I’ve been in actual shady bars, and they don’t look like this. Josslyn says, hopefully, they can find something real that ties Esme to Oz Haggerty, and Spencer says, something real? Josslyn says, something not fake, like the evidence his Uncle Victor left him, and Trina says, it just kind of came out. Josslyn says she knows why he’d want to use it. They all know Esme’s guilty. Spencer says, that’s kind of his point. It’s not considered framing someone if the person actually did the crime. He knows his Uncle Victor was insane, but he was also a pro. The evidence Victor gave him would hold up to scrutiny, and he feels like they’re wasting a lot of time when they already have what they need to take Esme down. Trina says, so he’s telling them that he kept the fake evidence.

Sam wonders what those four are up to, but Dante says he doesn’t give a damn. He’s off duty, and he’s with his girl at the bar of her choice. As far as he’s concerned, they’re the only ones here. They clink bottles again.

Carly tells Drew that she should have done more. She feels so responsible. Michael came to her, and he wanted her to flip on Sonny. He had proof, and he said if she testified against Sonny, the Feds would probably back off and keep Drew out of it altogether, but she couldn’t. He says, that’s because it’s not who she is. He’d never expect that. She says, but he’s not culpable. All he did was tell her about the plan to merge ELQ and Aurora. She’s the one who acted on insider information. She’s the one who’s guilty. He’s not; Sonny’s not. Sonny’s guilty of a whole bunch of other stuff… He says he doesn’t care about Sonny. His going to prison has nothing to do with her. She says, it has everything to do with her. He’s going to prison to protect her, and she doesn’t know if she can live with that.

Violet puts a vase of peonies on the coffee table, and Elizabeth says, wow. Those are gorgeous. Finn asks where she got them, and Violet says she ordered them on his phone, but they’re pink, Aunt Elizabeth’s favorite. Does she like them? Elizabeth says she loves them, and Violet says she forgot the candles. You can’t have a romantic dinner without candles. She knows she’s not supposed to light them, and asks if Finn will help her. He says he’ll light the candles, and Violet runs off to get them. Finn tells Elizabeth that clearly he and Violet need to have a long conversation about boundaries, and she says, it looks like they’ve been set up by a pintsized matchmaker. He says he guesses they’re having a date.

Drew says, what if he told Carly that his going to prison isn’t really about protecting her, and she says she’d call him a liar. He says, okay, it is about protecting her, but it’s not only about her. It’s about her children and the extended family that they share. He thinks about it like a cost benefit analysis. (Can he get more boring?) If he goes to prison, it causes the least amount of collateral damage. It’s just the logical choice. She says, this isn’t spreadsheets and algorithms. There’s nothing logical about this.

Austin says, Ava’s in this mess because of him? It’s the other way around. He’s in this mess because of her. Because she killed her husband and left him in the tack room. She says, it was an accident. She didn’t mean to kill her husband. She was just trying to keep him from taking her daughter. Austin knows that. He says, all right, but he’s dead, and she left his body out where any old body could find him, and guess who did? Mason. And now Mason’s got them exactly where he wants them. He’s in this mess because of her. If she goes down for murdering her husband, he’s going to prison as an accessory. He’ll spend the rest of his life in prison for a killing he had nothing to do with. She says, he offered to help her, and he says, because she asked. Now they’ve got all the leverage over him they could ever possibly want, unless they decide to let Mason do his thing and get them out of the way. Ava asks, enough with the they. Who is the they? Who is behind him and Mason?

Violet finishes setting the table, and says, it’s ready. Finn says he thinks she forgot a place setting. Where is she going to sit? She says, not with them. This is a date, just for the two of them. She’s going to be their server. Please have a seat. They sit on the sofa, and Violet says she’ll get the drinks. She goes to the kitchen, and Finn says, it’s been a minute since they spent time outside of work. She says, that’s why, when she got his text, she was thinking that… She knows the text was from Violet, but… never mind. He says he’d like to hear, when Violet runs in with a jar of something that looks like pink lemonade, and Finn says he’ll help her pour, taking it from her. He pours a glass for Elizabeth and himself, when there’s a knock at the door. Violet says, dinner’s here, and Finn says, she ordered dinner from his phone? She says, dessert too.

Dante says he doesn’t think he told Sam, but she did an incredible job officiating at Michael and Willow’s wedding. She asks where that came from, and he says he wanted to tell her, but they haven’t had a lot of time to sit and connect with each other because everything’s been so crazy. She looked so beautiful in that pink dress. She found a way to be appropriate and official, but smoking hot at the same time. He doesn’t know how she does it. She thanks him, and he says she was warm and loving, and made it about them, not her. She says, it was about them; it was their wedding. He says, not to him. They were saying their vows, but all he could think about was her.

Spencer tells Trina that he kept the evidence as Plan B. He saw no reason to get rid of it. Right now, Esme is being marginally cooperative. Should that ever change, or if she should regain her memories again, or revert to being her old self, or worse, take Ace and leave the country, he would at least have some recourse; something to take to the cops. Dex says, in his experience, taking evidence to law enforcement is more complicated than Spencer thinks. If Spencer shows up with this boatload of evidence, the cops will vet it. And if even one piece doesn’t hold up, Spencer will be arrested and charged with obstruction. Spencer asks, what makes you the expert, Mr. Combat Vet? If Dex is so good, if he’s such a talented soldier, why take a job opening doors for his uncle? Dex tells Josslyn, let’s go, and Josslyn says, lovely as always. Spencer gets up and says he doesn’t need Dex’s help. He punches Dex in the face, and caught off guard, Dex falls. Josslyn asks if he’s okay.

Austin tells Ava, these people aren’t like anyone she’s met before. They’re not you’re run of the mill Mafia types. They don’t care about codes or territory. They could care less about family or honor or any of that. They’re going to get what they want by any means necessary. Right now what they want is information about Pikeman from Sonny, and she’s going to get it for them. She says, they’ve made that abundantly clear, but what’s not clear is what they want her to give them. He says, give them what they’re asking for, or they’ll just keep ramping up the pressure. Or worse. They’ll get her out of the way, and come at Sonny from a different angle. She says, he’s afraid of them, isn’t he? She can see it. His fear is real, even though everything else about him has been a lie.

Drew says he knows Carly is scared, and she says she is. She’s guilty, and she can’t stop thinking it should be her. She should take the fall. He says, that would be a terrible idea, but she says, if it were her, they’d probably send her to Spring Ridge. He says, she doesn’t know that. The Feds made it pretty clear they were interested in her because of Sonny. Think about it. To save herself, she would have had to give evidence up against Sonny, which would have torn her family apart. Kristina, Avery, even Donna would have resented her for that someday. And if she didn’t give up Sonny, Joss and Michael would have blamed her for sacrificing herself for a man they think betrayed her. It was a lose-lose. She says, but none of that is his fault. It’s her mess. Outcome of her choices. She’s the one who chose to marry Sonny, to have kids with him, to have knowledge about his business. That’s on her. Why should he have to pay for it? He says, the answer is because he loves her.

Portia tells Esme that GH happens to offer parenting classes, and one starts next week. Esme says she appreciates Portia thinking of her, but she has work, and she doesn’t think Spencer… Portia says, some of the topics are just so practical. Like how to get her baby to sleep through the night, which can be extremely helpful now that she’s working. And also how to tell the difference between common baby ailments and something more serious. Esme supposes that would have come in handy when Ace had colic, and Portia says, the main thrust of the course is just to get partners on the same page, to be able to communicate effectively and set goals for the baby. She thinks that would be extremely helpful in Esme’s case. Esme says, they do have a lot of last-minute changes, and Portia says, having predictable schedules can really help with frustration and disappointment. She gets it. Things come up; adjustments need to be made. But if Esme and Spencer really do plan to work together, they can support each other in a calm and organized way. She just thinks it would be better for the both of them and especially Ace. Esme says, Portia does make some really good points, but she’s not so sure Spencer would want to take a class with her. Portia says, it doesn’t hurt to tell him. Tell him that she’s going either way, and give him the option to attend with her. He might surprise her. She gives Esme a pamphlet.

Sam asks if Dante saw that, and he says, dammit, he did. Dex says, the first one is free. The second one will cost Spencer. Josslyn tells him, relax; let it go. Spencer takes another swing, but Dex is more than ready, punching Spencer a few times before Spencer falls to the ground. Trina runs over to Spencer, and the bouncer comes out, saying, break it up. Dante says he’ll handle it. He’s an off-duty cop, and he knows these guys. The bouncer thanks him (they’re even polite!), and Dante asks if Spencer can get up. Trina tells him, just breathe, and Dante asks, what’s the problem here? Josslyn says, Spencer punched him, and Dante says he saw it. Sam says she saw it too, and Dante says, Dex could press charges on assault if he wanted to, but Dex says, they’ll just go. Dante says, that’s probably the best thing. He doesn’t know how many of them are actually over 21 anyway. Josslyn says she’ll call Trina, and leaves with Dex. Dante helps Spencer up, and says, as an ex-con, he doesn’t think Spencer wants barroom brawl on his record. Spencer, who can’t even speak yet, nods, and Dante tells him, think about that next time.

Ava says, Austin first came to town a long-lost Quartermaine. And when that didn’t pan out, he latched on to Maxie. And when that didn’t pan out, he latched on to her. All of his kindness… He was so solicitous and supportive after she was stabbed by The Hook. Was any of it sincere? Or was he just following orders? Has she ever been anything to him? Austin asks if he’s ever been anything to her, other than just her patsy.

Elizabeth asks if she can help Violet, but Violet says, no thank you. Did she like her dinner? Elizabeth says she loved it. Pizza is one of her favorites. Violet says, daddy likes it too. Sometimes they even have it twice a week. She goes to the kitchen to get dessert, and Finn says, busted. Not only does he allow his daughter open access to his phone, he resorts to bi-weekly pizza. Elizabeth says she’ll tell him a secret. Her freezer is well stocked with tater tots and chicken tenders, because sometimes that’s all you can do. And Jake wouldn’t eat anything green for years. Violet comes back, and says, we have a selection. She puts a plate of cupcakes on the table, and says, they’re not as good as Aiden’s, but they’re still yummy. Elizabeth says, Violet has to pick one first, and Violet studies the choices intently.

Spencer tells Trina, Dex has no idea the kind of havoc Esme has caused in their lives. Dex has no right jumping in and telling him what to do. Neither does Joss for that matter. Trina says, first of all, Joss is her best friend, and don’t forget she has stakes in this too. She had to agree to drop the charges against Esme, and she did it because of Spencer’s baby brother. So if he’s upset that she told Joss, and took it out on Dex… He says, no. He just doesn’t want Joss’s help, and doesn’t want her Neanderthal boyfriend’s help either. Trina says, that’s a very interesting choice of words because the only Neanderthal that threw the first punch was him, after he lied by omission about holding on to the fake evidence. He says he explained, and she says, it’s like everything in Greenland never happened. It’s like he came back and turned into this selfish entitled jerk he’s always been. She can’t stand when he does this. Maybe this is just him. Maybe this is just who he is. He says he’s sorry, but she says, no. She can’t hear another meaningless apology. She runs out, and Dante says, that did not go well. Sam says, no. She says, poor Trina, at the same time Dante says, poor Spencer.

Drew says he loves Carly, and he wishes they didn’t have to spend their last night rehashing all the things they can’t change. He wishes he could sweep her up and take her somewhere exotic and romantic, where they could go dancing all night and maybe walk on the shore at dawn, so he could tell her everything that’s in his heart. He wants them to be together. He wants them to move in together. He wants to wake up every morning with her and go to bed every night together. And instead, they’re here, but that’s okay. The world, the SEC, got in the way, but that doesn’t change how he feels about her and what he wants. They can still have that life together. It’s just getting delayed a little bit. She says she loves him too, so much. She’ll wait as long as it takes for them to have that life together, but they have tonight. Tonight is theirs. They kiss.

Finn asks how Elizabeth is adjusting to her role as head nurse, and she says she’s still finding her way. Some of her teammates are still adjusting to her new title. Sometimes she feels like she’s got this, and sometimes she wonders how Epiphany managed for so long. He says she’s absolutely got it. Their styles are different, but they both mix strength with compassion. Epiphany was kind of this force of nature, and Elizabeth is more soft-spoken, but she has a core of steel. She hopes that’s a compliment, and he says, it absolutely is. He thinks she’s… remarkable. And on top of all that, she’s a really good sport for going along with all this. She says, it’s her pleasure. She hasn’t had any pizza in weeks, so Violet planned the perfect dinner. They see Violet asleep in a chair, and Finn says, she’s exhausted. She really went all out. Elizabeth agrees, and asks if he wants help putting her to bed. He says he’d like that, and asks Violet if she’s ready for bed.

Drew and Carly slow dance as By My Side by The Paper Kites plays. He says he loves her, and she says she loves him too, and they get busy.

Behind bars, Cyrus reads from the Bible: The Lord is my strength and my shield. My heart trusted in Him and I am helped.

Dante says he guesses Spencer and Trina’s table is free, but Sam says, no. Bad juju. She’ll pass on that. Dante says he knows Spencer can be a bit of a brat sometimes, and she says, sometimes? When he was a kid, he was cute, but now… Come on. That is appalling. Dante says he feels kind of bad for Spencer. There’s nothing worse than doing something stupid and pissing off the woman that you love. And then he tries to flex, and gets his ass handed to him instead. She laughs, and he says, then his pride’s hurting and his body is physically hurting. And you know he can’t be comforted by his woman because he’s so deeply embarrassed. And then she gets even more mad, and then he blows up at her. Now he’s got to just try and grovel to her and win her back. She says, that’s very insightful. What happened to him? He says he pleads the Fifth, and she says, maybe from Trina’s perspective, you know that your guy is hurt, but you don’t know how badly, and he’s completely embarrassed himself. And that temper. You’ve got to wonder if that’s something you’re going to have to live with as long as you’re together. But right now, your guy, he’s on the ground. He’s in pain and vulnerable, and you’re torn between wanting to yell at your guy for doing that and yell at the other guy for hitting your guy. So what are you gonna do? Are you gonna… Dante says, walk out? That’s what she did. Sam says, you know what she would do? She would have taken a chair and broken it over the other guy’s back. But she knows she doesn’t have to worry about being in that position with him. She believes he has more sense than to ever start a bar fight. He says he can think of a lot of other cool stuff to do in this place besides start a bar fight, and they start to dance to the jukebox playing.

Outside, Dex says he’s sorry, but Josslyn says, he has nothing to be sorry about. He came with them to help. He told Spencer that if he uses that fake evidence, he’s the one that’s going to get arrested. And he’s right, but what does Spencer do to thank him? He sucker punches him. Again? It’s like the only time he could land one against Dex. Dex says, she’s really mad, and she says, yeah, she’s mad. Why isn’t he mad? Why is he smiling and laughing? Dex says he’s smiling because she’s beautiful, and he’s laughing because she makes him happy. He kisses her, and she says, his lip is bruised. He kisses her for even longer.

At home and obviously in pain, Spencer takes off his shirt. There’s a knock on his bedroom door, and Esme says, what happened to… She opens the door, looks at him, and says, you?

Elizabeth asks if Finn wants help with the dishes, but he says, not necessary. Especially since dinner came from a pizza box. She says, and a cupcake box, and he promises to have a talk with Violet about playing matchmaker. He loves Violet, but they can’t be together just because she wants them to. Elizabeth says, of course (🍷). There has to be more between them than that. She should get going. She picks up her bag, and says she had a really lovely time. Finn asks her to wait, and picks up the vase of flowers, saying, don’t forget these. She says, they look so pretty on his table, but he says, Violet got them for her, and pink is her favorite color. She reaches for them, and their hands touch.

Austin says, Ava thinks he’s just a sucker? Instead of going to the police like a normal person, she does that thing she does, and he just helps her cover it up like a normal person. She killed her husband. She tells him, stop saying that. She didn’t mean for him to die. He says he only has her word on that, and she says she only has his word that she can trust him; that he’s on her side. He says, if he wasn’t, he’d just let them kill her, and she asks why doesn’t he? He says, because he doesn’t want her to die, and she asks, why? He grabs her and kisses her.

Dante dips Sam, and she laughs, saying, he’s one hell of a dancer. He says, that’s easy when he has one hell of a partner. She says, one who, by the way, would never walk out on him. They kiss.

Trina finds Portia at the hospital, and hugs her. Portia says, what a wonderful surprise. It’s kind of late though, isn’t it? Trina says she was going by and decided to stop in and see how Portia is doing with… things. Portia takes Trina’s arm, they walk, and Portia says, that’s very kind of her. She and Curtis are in limbo at the moment, but when that changes, Trina will be the first to know. Trina says, it’s really hard when you have a strong connection to somebody and things happen to make you question it. Portia says she appreciates the understanding, and the visit. She thought Trina might be out with Spencer or something tonight. Trina says she wasn’t feeling it, so she decided to say her goodnights and swing by here. Portia says, lucky me.

Esme says, did Spencer fall? Did someone punch him? He asks if it matters, and she says, he blew up and ran to his room so fast, she got worried. He forgets that she was attacked in this place and Ace was kidnapped. Slams and bumps make her… He says, there’s nothing to worry about. As she can see, he’s fine. Thanks. She tells him, if you say so, and closes his door.

At Dex’s apartment, Josslyn asks if it hurts, and Dex says, a little. She says, here? touching his lips, and he says, no pain at all. She says, she should probably test it out, and kisses him. She tells him, stay down and let her take care of him, and they get busy.

Carly tells Drew, some days and nights drag on forever, but some nights end too soon. Morning’s going to come, and he’s going to be headed to Pentenville. He says, they still have a few hours left. They don’t have to start saying goodbye just yet. She says, he has to promise her that he’s going to be careful. She knows he has the skills to protect himself, and he’ll have to prove that at first, but after that, she wants him to keep a low profile, and stay out of trouble. She wants him to be a model prisoner and do his time, and come home to her. Promise her. He says he’s going to come home to her. He promises. She kisses him.

Cyrus tells the guard, a new prisoner starts tomorrow. Cyrus knows him. He’s a friend. His name is Drew Cain.

Tomorrow, Violet doesn’t want Elizabeth to leave; Ava pushes Austin away; and Sonny wants to discuss Sasha’s future with her.

🫲 Get To Know Him…

Or refresh your memory.

👨🏽‍⚖️ Good Luck With That…

This seems like a futile effort to me. I can’t see any reason empties should be in someone’s car. Did she say she was taking them to recycling?

🥀 Another Star In Heaven…

He was a busy guy. I remember him being in a lot of things.

🧨 Soap Independence…

So does this mean GH is technically on 4th of July? That’s not Monday.

🎬 She’s the Expert…

Doubtful she didn’t want to eclipse Taylor. It’s not so much what she says, it’s her schoolmarm know-it-all fancy pants delivery.

📲 One Season Wonder…

I read this three times and still don’t get how she was harassed.

💎 She’s Gotta Wear Shades…

Maybe the next season won’t be so exhausting.

🍸 Meanwhile, In Vanderland…

She’s raking it in. For once, we got to see people reaping what they sowed.

Giving you Lala.

Jax must be jumping for joy that he was finally able to pass on the title of Worst Human Being On Earth to Sandoval.

🩰 Life In Plastic…

This is one of the coolest things ever.

https://www.eonline.com/news/1377661/allow-margot-robbie-to-give-you-a-tour-of-barbies-dream-house

🪄 Life Is Your Creation…

Make a stop here tomorrow for soap, teatime, words to ponder, and music to end the month. Until then stay safe, stay interacting with an open mind, and stay not doing stupid things and pissing off the [person] you love.

June 28, 2023 – Brook Gives Tracy What She Wants, OC Inflicts Itself On Montana & Padam

Standard

What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)

General Hospital

At a poolside table, Martin asks if Lucy is going to give him a thrill and go for another dip in the pool, but she says, no, and asks if there isn’t a rule about waiting after you eat. He says, she hasn’t touched her burger, and she says, true, but she absolutely devoured his hummingbird cake. He says, she is his hummingbird cake… What’s wrong? Why does he get the feeling something is weighing on her?

Brook walks into Maxie’s office, where Maxie has papers spread all over her desk. Brook asks if the storm is over or should she hide under the desk, and Maxie says her assistant quit to find herself, whatever that means. So now Maxie is finding herself drowning in extra work. She doesn’t even know if she’ll have time to eat lunch. Brook says she had a feeling, and brought lunch to Maxie. Didn’t she say she and Lulu used to have lunch all the time back in the day? She says she did, and it’s sweet of Brook, but didn’t she ask for the day off? What’s she doing here?

In the nook, Tracy sends a text to Brook: Text me when you find anything useful at Maxie’s office. Sam and Dante walk in with Scout, who hugs Tracy. Tracy says, Leo’s not here, Olivia took him to the park. Or if they’re looking for their resident horse whisperer, he’s probably out mounting a defense for something else he’s done. At least that’s what she’d bet on. Dante says, they’re not here for his mother or Cody, and she asks, to what does she owe this visit. Drew comes in, and says he asked them to bring his daughter to see him.

Josslyn walks into Sonny’s old kitchen, and Carly asks, how was the pool? Josslyn says, it was great. She saw Dex and got to catch up with Trina. Carly asks why she didn’t stay, and Josslyn says, Trina had things to do, and she wanted to check on Carly. Carly says she’s all right, but Josslyn asks how she could be, with the judge giving Drew three years. Not in Spring Ridge, but in Pentenville, when there’s a deal in place? What’s the judge’s problem? Carly says she doesn’t even know where to begin, but the moss bowl🎍will make it all better. Apparently, Judge Kim saw an opportunity to be tough on a so-called privileged defendant. Josslyn wonders if by privileged he means a decorated Navy SEAL who just helped save a bunch of people from Victor Cassadine in Greenland. That doesn’t count for anything? Carly says, Judge Kim didn’t want the public to see Drew get away with a while collar crime just because he’d done some heroic things, and Josslyn says, but three years? And nobody even got hurt? She doesn’t even know what to say. Carly says, she does, so say it. Josslyn thinks she made a huge mistake not turning in Sonny.

Ned says he appreciates Sonny sending his goon away, but would have appreciated it more if Sonny hadn’t had his goon track him down and manhandle him back here. Nina says, nobody wants to hurt anyone. It’s just that Sonny is worried about him. Ned says he’s not a problem for Sonny anymore. He’s not a problem for anyone in this town anymore. So if they’ll excuse him, he’s got a train to catch. Sonny says, he’s not going anywhere.

Ava screams for Avery in the park, when Chase comes along with some officers, and says, they’re here to help. She says, someone’s taken her daughter.

Josslyn says, it’s no secret what she thinks, but does Carly regret not giving the Feds evidence against Sonny? Carly says, no. It’s a line she can never cross, but she does see the consequences to Drew, and can understand why Josslyn would say I told you so. Josslyn says, it’s not really their style, calling each other out like that. Probably because they agree on most things. Carly says, except this, and Josslyn says she may never 100% agree with Carly about Sonny, but she’s had a change of heart since the last time they talked about him. What Carly said really opened her eyes. She thinks she has been a little too focused on defending Carly and protecting Dex. She thinks she did lose her way a bit. To be clear, she can’t forgive Sonny completely for what he did to their family, but if Carly and Michael are willing to let go of their anger, so is she. At least for Avery and Donna’s sake. Carly takes Josslyn’s hand and says, it makes her so happy. Josslyn says she thinks she struggles because Sonny is guilty of so much, and he gets to walk around free. Now Drew is going to prison for three years. Scout has already been without her father, and now she’s about to lose him again. Sam must be going crazy about this.

Scout hugs Drew, and he says he saw some flowers in Monica’s garden that just sprouted up. Doesn’t she think Dante would like to see those? Scout says, sure, and Drew tells her to go show him. Scout takes Dante’s hand, and leads him outside. Sam says she’s sorry she couldn’t be at Drew’s hearing, but he says, that’s probably a good thing. It wasn’t exactly a crowd pleaser. Tracy asks what she’s missing, and Sam says, she didn’t see the news? Tracy says, obviously not. Some of us can’t watch the news 24/7. What happened at the hearing? Drew says, the judge rejected the plea deal. Instead of six months in Spring Ridge, he got three years in Pentenville. Tracy says, that’s unconscionable. That’s a miscarriage of justice. Drew says he agrees, but it’s what the judge imposed, and he intends to comply. He looks at Sam, and says, now the real question is, how are they going to break this to their daughter?

Brook hands Maxie a take-out container, and says she thought she’d come in and help with the social. So many more people are engaging because of The Deceptor. Are sales really that crazy? Maxie says, Brook has no idea, and brings up a file on her computer. Brook asks what she’s looking in, and Maxie says, the shared drive file that shows all the various products they’re selling. Brook looks over her shoulder, and Maxie says, they’ve had to up the number of Deceptor units they’ve produced, and they’re still selling out. She’s never seen anything like it. She’s sure there’s a limit, but they just haven’t reached it yet. Brook says, it’s amazing. They’ve obviously hit a sweet spot. The more they sell, the more word of mouth, the higher the engagement. Maxie says, the difficult part is, it’s hard to keep up. She hasn’t had time to find a new place to live. Brook says, she’s looking for a house? and Maxie says, she’s the mother of three kids. She thinks she’s made a two-bedroom apartment work for a really long time. She needs a bigger house with a backyard. It’s something she should have done years ago. Brook says, especially since she’s been raking in the dough for quite some time now. Why does Maxie think she hasn’t? Maxie says, because of Nathan.

Ned says, he sees where this is going. Just for the record, he borrowed Sonny’s computer last night, and did some online research about him. Quite the eye-opener. Sonny says he’s sure it was, and Ned says, Sonny didn’t mention he had a kid with Olivia. Sonny says, it was a long time ago. His name’s Dante. He’s a police detective, and grown up with a family of his own. Ned says, Sonny also didn’t mention he has this professional reputation. Is Sonny going to break his legs if he doesn’t stay in Port Charles and keep Olivia happy? Sonny says he and Olivia have a lot of history. It’s surprising how far he’d be willing to go for her, but he knows Olivia would want her husband in one piece. As far as his professional reputation, some of the stories are true, some are not true, but on that note, he’s going to make Ned an offer he can’t refuse.

Chase asks Pilar to tell him what happened from the beginning, and Pilar says, Avery was with her… Chase says, Pilar is her nanny, correct? and Pilar says, yes, Pilar Rodriguez. Avery loves this spot. They come here at least once a week. She turned her back for one second, and Avery was gone. Chase asks Officer Williams to take Pilar’s statement, and she goes with the officer. Ava says, they’re losing time. They say the first 24 hours is the most important in a kidnapping, isn’t it? He says, it’s possible Avery just wandered off. He did it all the time as a kid. He drove his dad nuts. At this point in time, there’s no reason to believe Avery was kidnapped. Ava says, he doesn’t understand. She has every reason in the world to believe someone kidnapped Avery. Chase says, why is that?

Sonny says, Ned probably didn’t find this when he was doing his research, but he has connections to every industry in Port Charles. Music venues, radio stations, even boutique record labels near Charles Street. Ned says, okay. Sonny has his attention. Sonny says he can’t make Ned be part of the Quartermaine family, but because Olivia and Brook are so important to him, as long as Ned sticks around Port Charles and lets them know he’s alive and safe, Sonny may introduce him to the right people, and who knows? They may even sign Ned to a record label. But the offer only stands if he stays in town.

Chase asks if Ava has a reason to believe someone would want to hurt her daughter, and she flashes back to Austin saying that she refuses to accept how ruthless Mason is. No one is off-limits. She tells Chase, Avery’s father is Sonny Corinthos. He has too many enemies to count, right? That makes all of his kids targets, that includes Avery. Chase can’t just assume she wandered off. He says he’ll call it in and get a PCPD Missing Child Alert. They’re going to find her. He promises. He leaves, and Ava says, Sonny, and takes out her phone.

Felicia and Mac approach Lucy and Martin, and Lucy says, this is amazing. She had no idea they were going to be at the pool today. What a wonderful coincidence. Mac says, it was sort of a last-minute thing. He has some paid days off coming, and Felicia insisted he spend one of them enjoying the pool. Lucy says, they insist he and Felicia join them, and Felicia says she’s had her mind set on a poolside pina colada all morning long. Would he get her one please? He says, coming right up, and Lucy says, that sounds yummy. She asks Martin if she could have a poolside pina colada too, please, but missing the cue, he says, she’s still got half of her first one. She chugs it down, and says, they disappear so fast. Where do they go? He laughs, and she says, please. Also, it would give him a chance to bond with Mac. He says, that’s important because… She says, because Mac and Felicia are her best friends, and ever since she got divorced from Doc, she hasn’t been as close to them. She’s losing out on those couple outings, and it would mean so much to her if the two of them hit it off. She plays with the buttons on his shirt, and says, so please, maybe have some small talk at the bar, get us some lounges, pretty please… He says, her wish is his command, kisses her, and goes over to Mac at the bar. Felicia tells Lucy, the coast is clear. Does Lucy want to tell her the real reason she called for her to come here?

Brook tells Maxie that she’s sorry. She didn’t mean to bring up an emotional subject. Maxie says, it’s okay. Her apartment is where she and Nathan met. On New Year’s Eve. He showed up to sublet it when she was leaving town. They talked for a few minutes, then went their separate ways. Looking back, it was a night that changed her life. And then she and Nathan fell in love, and that apartment is where they shared their life together. It’s also where she and Nina planned his funeral. Brook says she never thought about it that way, and Maxie says she knows when she moves into a house, she’ll make memories with her kids there, great memories. But she’s not going to make any new memories with Nathan. Her apartment has becomes like an adult emotional support blanket. She’s afraid to let it go. Brook says, Maxie doesn’t have to do anything she doesn’t want to do, but sometimes change can be good, right? and Maxie says, yeah. Look at them. Can Brook even remember a time they couldn’t stand each other? Now Brook is Bailey’s second mom, and Maxie would trust Brook with her life. Brook says, maybe she shouldn’t.

Tracy says she knows she and Drew don’t have any use for each other, but her brother is turning over in his grave about this. Drew says, there’s nothing they can do about it not, but she says, wrong. He can change his plea, and throw Carly under the bus.

Carly tells Josslyn that they filed an appeal. There has to be some way to set this right. Diane comes in and admires the moss bowl🎍, and Carly says she was just telling Josslyn that they filed an appeal on Drew’s behalf. Now that the hearing is over, will she be able to represent him? Diane says, she cannot, because Carly’s case is still being settled. She does have some good news. Carly says she’ll take anything, and Diane says, as of tomorrow, Carly’s accounts will be unfrozen. Both Carly and Josslyn say, thank God, and Diane says, thank God indeed. However, the court has determined a financial amount she’ll have to pay for restitution for her part in Drew’s crime. She gives Carly a folder, and Carly looks inside. She looks shocked, and Josslyn asks, how much does she have to pay? Carly looks at Diane, and says, five million dollars!? Diane says, it’s exorbitant, she knows, and she tried to talk the judge down. He will not budge. He assessed her the maximum fine. Carly says, five million dollars? This is her entire savings. And this isn’t counting property taxes, and food, and insurance, and bills… Josslyn says she has her trust fund, but Carly says, no. Drew didn’t make this sacrifice so the financial burden lies on her. Josslyn says, what about Michael? Or Sonny? She’s sure they’d help. Diane says, oh no. That cannot happen.

Drew tells Tracy that he’s not going to relitigate this. The judge imposed a sentence, and he has every intention of serving it. She says, nothing is final. He just needs a sharp lawyer and deep pockets; he has both. Sam tells him that she hates to say it, but she agrees with Tracy, and Tracy says, thank you. Wait. What? Sam says, the deal Drew made with the US Attorney was for a six-month sentence in Spring Ridge. Now that the deal has been altered, maybe there’s a little wiggle room for him to change his plea to not guilty. Drew says, but what good is it going to do? The outcome will still be the same, unless he says it was all Carly’s idea, and obviously, he’s not going to do that. This is for the best. Tracy says, for who? For Carly. Not for his daughter. He says, Scout has a loving, safe home with Sam and Dante. He knows she’s going to miss him, and it’s going to kill him to be away from her, but the disruption is minimal. Taking the deal, even with the extended prison sentence, does the most amount of good for the most amount of people. Sam says, he’s supposed to be the sacrificial lamb for the greater good? How is that fair? He tells her, nobody said life was fair, and Tracy says, self-sacrifice is a highly overrated virtue. He says he violated the rules. He’s got to pay the penalty. The best he can do is face the consequences. Sam asks, where are the consequences for Carly? Why is he the only one… Dante comes back with Scout, and Scout asks why they’re fighting.

Maxie asks why she shouldn’t trust Brook, and Brook says she’s no angel. Maxie says, doesn’t Brook think she knows that? They were co-conspirators when they passed off her baby as Brook’s. Brook says, but that was for a good cause; to protect Baby Louise from Peter. Maxie’s desk phone rings, and she says she’ll be right there. She tells Brook, that was distribution. They’re having a hard time keeping up as well. She’ll be right back. She leaves, and Brook checks the hallway, then goes over to the computer. She puts in a flashdrive, and sits down. She says, oh Maxie, you shouldn’t have made this so easy. There’s the Deception file with all The Deceptor information. All she has to do is copy and paste.

Ned says, if he takes Sonny’s offer, and signs with a local label, how does he know they’ll make him a priority, and not some local indy nonsense? Sonny says, because if he introduces Ned/Eddie, he’ll be a priority. Sonny’s phone rings, and Ava says she’s at the park with Pilar. Someone has taken Avery. Sonny asks what she means, and Ava says, she was with Pilar, then suddenly wasn’t with Pilar. The police think Avery may have wandered off, but she has a bad feeling. He says he’ll be right there, and leaves.

Mac and Martin go to the chaise lounges, and Mac asks if Lucy is forcing them to be fast friends. Martin looks at him, and Mac says, Chief of Detectives, remember? It’s his job to figure out people’s motives. Martin says, let’s put it this way. He wouldn’t put it past Lucy to recreate the same couples joy she had when she was married to Doc. Mac says, the four of them had a lot of fun, and Martin says, so he hears. About that. He’s sure Doc is happy with his sister these days, but he has to confess, he’s surprised the good doctor walked away from someone as wonderful as Lucy. He knows she’s made her fair share of mistakes, but he thought Doc would be as charitable and forgiving as she is. Mac laughs, and Martin asks if he said something funny. Mac says, Lucy charitable and forgiving? Obviously, Martin’s never crossed her, and Mac wouldn’t advise him to start now.

Felicia says, so Lucy is saying Martin has been acting strangely. How so? Lucy says, it’s really been since she got back from the safe house, but it’s been glaring these past few days. Felicia says, give her some examples, and Lucy says, his phone rings, but he doesn’t answer. He sends it right to voicemail and won’t let her know who called. And he’s especially cryptic about all business matters. And he clams up as soon as she says he helped her invent The Deceptor. Bizarro. Felicia asks what she means, and Lucy says, she’ll be telling people that she and Marty had this great talk, and he inspired her to make The Deceptor. She tries to acknowledge his contribution, but he shuts the conversation right down. Felicia asks if it’s possible he doesn’t want to hog the spotlight from her. Lucy did do all the legwork. Lucy says she did think of that, but she takes pride in being in touch with the universe, and Felicia asks what the universe told her. Lucy says, something is very fishy. She just doesn’t know what to do. Felicia says, sure she does. That’s why Lucy asked her here. Lucy wants Felicia to spy on her boyfriend.

Drew promises mommy and daddy weren’t fighting, but Scout says, sure sounded like a fight. Sam says, it’s just because mommy and daddy were a little scared, and Dante asks if Scout remembers how scared she got when he let her stay up and watch The Wolfman with him and Rocco. Scout says, mommy was really mad, and Dante says, the Wolfman wasn’t the only one in the doghouse that night. Scout asks Drew why he and mommy are scared, and he says he thinks scared isn’t the right word. More like a little worried. Scout says, about what? and he asks her to sit down. They sit at the table with Sam, and Drew asks if Scout remembers when he told her that he made a mistake at work and the police weren’t very happy about it? She nods, and he says, yesterday he went to court, and because of that mistake he made at work, he has to go to prison for a little while. Scout says, mommy had to go to prison a long time ago. She and Danny went to visit; it was scary. Drew says, it can be scary. It’s hard to have to stay there, but her mommy came home and so will he. She asks if he’s sad, and he says he is. Mostly because he’s going to be away from her. But sometimes in life you’ve got to do things you don’t want to do, so he’s going to go and make the most of it. When he comes out, the first person he’s going to see is her. She asks if he promises, and he says he does. They hug, and Tracy suggests Scout show her those beautiful new flowers. Before she leaves, Scout says she can visit Drew, right? and Sam says, every weekend, rain or shine.

Diane says, if Carly had economic ties to Sonny, that would only force both of them under the forensic financial microscope together. Trust her. It would not end well for either of them. Josslyn says, what about Michael? and Diane says, Michael sailed through this whole debacle unscathed, but if the SEC starts looking in his direction, hypothetically, did he know what Carly and Drew were up to? Carly says, understood, and Diane says, good, because if Michael offers a sum of money to somebody involved with his company’s insider trading, even if that party is his mother, it will force the SEC to ask even more questions. Carly says, in the grand scheme of things, it’s only money. Drew’s losing his freedom; Scout’s losing her father. Diane’s phone dings, and she says she has to go finalize paperwork with the Feds, so wish her luck. She knows it doesn’t seem like it, but this is actually a good deal. She leaves, and Josslyn asks what Carly is going to do.

Sonny arrives at the park, and asks, what’s going on? Pilar says she’s so sorry. She turned her back for two seconds and Avery was gone. He says, that’s not important right now. What’s important is that they find Avery. He tells Frank to look around, and Chase says, they’ve got this, but Sonny says, so does his team. Chase says he’s just warning Sonny. If there are other elements at play, his presence might escalate the situation. Sonny says he doesn’t care how Chase feels about his business; right now, he’s a parent first. Ava comes over, and says, there’s something Sonny needs to know, when Austin asks if they’re looking for someone. Austin comes out holding Avery’s hand, while in the other, she holds a balloon.

Ava asks if Avery is all right. She was so worried. Chase tells an officer to cancel the Missing Child Alert, and Ava asks where Avery went. Austin says he was out for a run, and he saw this little one running around by the pond all on her own. Avery says she saw a bunch of balloons in the air, like ten, and she wanted to see where they were coming from. Austin says he could tell something was up, because no one was around. There were no adults, and Pilar was nowhere to be seen. Luckily, Avery remembered him as a familiar face, and he asked if she would allow him to get her a balloon in exchange for bringing her back to Pilar. Sonny tells Avery not to do that again. Never run from mommy, him, or Pilar. She knows better than that. Avery says, yes, daddy, and Sonny goes over to Pilar. He says, never let Avery out of her sight, and Pilar says she got a call. She thought it was her grandmother, but it turned out to be a telemarketer. When she looked up, Avery was gone. She’s so sorry. He says, it’s all right, and goes back to Ava and Avery. Ava says she was scared out of her mind, but Sonny says, everything’s all right. He’s going to take Avery home with him, and when Ava’s done with the police, she can come by. Ava thanks him, and he leaves with Avery. Chase asks Austin where Avery was when he spotted her, and he says, on the south side of the pond by the boathouse… Ava watches as he talks.

Nina tells Ned that Sonny just texted, and they found Avery. She was all right; she just wandered off, chasing a balloon. She’s so relieved. Ned says he can’t imagine having kids. It must be terrifying all the time. Which is why he never wanted that baggage in his life. Nina says, you’d be surprised how children can make your life a lot more meaningful, even if it’s painful, but he says he needs the room and the time to follow his passion – music. Part of him feels like even if he sticks around Port Charles, being near these kids who think he’s their old man, he could grow soft; turn into someone like the man they think he is. Nina says she thinks it’s great that he’s considering Sonny’s offer. Being a really big fish in a small pond, there’s nothing wrong with that. Ned asks, how so? and she says, the boutique labels here, there’s no national reach, no touring infrastructure for him like there is in L.A. and the city. If he stays here, it’s just for the love of music, right? He’ll play in people’s basements and living rooms, but if he goes out there in the world, he’ll just be chasing fame, and glory, and attention. That’s not what he wants, is it?

Maxie says, sorry that took her so long… Her office is empty, and she says, Brook Lynn?

Brook hugs Drew, and says she feels terrible about his sentence. That judge was so arbitrary and unfair, the opposite of justice. She wishes it didn’t have to be this way. Drew says, him too, but all of their support means a lot to him, so he thanks him. Drew says he has to check in with Carly, and Sam says she doesn’t want to run into Tracy. Drew wonders if what Sam said to Scout about visiting him on the weekends is going to be a good idea for her, but Sam says, Scout handled it when Scout visited her. She’s made of steel like her mom and dad. Dante says, if Drew happens to get into trouble in there, let him know. He might be able to help. Obviously, he’ll do it quietly, so no one knows Drew has connections to law enforcement. Drew says he appreciates that, but the best thing they can do is what they’ve been doing; be present for Scout. They shake hands, and Dante says, good luck.

Carly tells Josslyn, that’s a fortune. They’ll figure it out. She’ll get a job. She just hasn’t because she thought she’d get the MetroCourt back, but it’s been a year. She’ll get a job; that’s her reality now. Josslyn says, please let her help, but Carly says she’ll figure it out. When she came to Port Charles, she had absolutely nothing. She started on the bottom and clawed her way to the top. This is a setback. It’s a blip in her life. She’s Carly Spencer and she’ll get every single thing back that she lost. She promises that.

Lucy says she really only asked Felicia here to confide in her very, very best friend in the entire world. She would never dream of suggesting that Felicia put the P.I. hat back on for her benefit, and perhaps try to get to the bottom of the mysterious circumstances in her relationship. Felicia says, if that’s the case, forget she brought it up, but Lucy says, Felicia wins. She just needs to know what’s going on, so will Felicia please help her? Felicia says, of course (🍷), and Lucy says, who knows? It might just turn out to be a big fat nothing burger. She takes a bite of a pretty tasty looking burger.

Mac says, in the spirit of their new friendship, let him give Martin a piece of advice. Lucy doesn’t hold a grudge too often. She forgives a white lie, a transgression, even a crime, but the ones she never forgives are the ones who dismiss her; who think she’s stupid, or easily manipulated, or lacking agency. Martin says he sees, and Mac says, but Martin and Lucy are equals, on the same level, so he doesn’t see a problem. Martin flashes back to the text from Ex #3: You’ve been avoiding me. That’s a serious mistake.

Maxie calls Janine, and asks if Brook is in her office. Brook left her salad in Maxie’s office, and… Oh. What does she mean, Brook didn’t come in today? Maxie just saw her.

Tracy says, home already? She takes it Brook has something for her. Brook hands her the flashdrive, and says, all the propriety information on The Deceptor, from the current sales report to the first communications about it last fall. Tracy says, last fall? That’s a lot sooner than we thought. Brook says, we? Tracy’s been holding out on her. Is she working with someone else to take down Deception? Tracy says, yours is not to ask questions. Yours is to do as I say, or else.

Josslyn says she believes Carly is going to figure it out, and Carly says, she should. The world may be kicking them when they’re down, but she kicks back ten times harder. She hugs Josslyn and says, they’re going to get through this. Drew knocks at the window, and Carly lets him in. Josslyn hugs him, and says, it’s good to see him. She’ll give them a second. She leaves, and Drew and Carly hug. He says, now that he’s here, it’s all happening so fast, and she says, this is where they say goodbye, and he says goodbye to the moss bowl🎍. They hug again.

Ned says, Nina’s given him something to think about, when Sonny comes in with Avery. She runs to Nina, and they hug. Nina asks, what happened to her? Is she okay? Sonny says, she wandered off, but she’s doing okay, and Nina suggests they go into the kitchen for a snack. Avery says, okay, and they leave. Ned says, Sonny must have been scared there for a second, and Sonny says, now Ned must know how his family feels. Ned says, except he’s a grown man, and he doesn’t owe the Quartermaines anything; just like the Quartermaines don’t owe him anything. He has some reservations about staying in this town, and how much a local label could accomplish for him, but that being said – Nina listens from the doorway – a bird in the hand is better than two in the bush. So he’s willing to give this arrangement a chance – for now. He and Sonny shake hands.

Chase thanks Austin and Pilar for answering his questions, and Austin says, right place, right time. Chase says he can give Pilar a ride, and she thanks him. She turns to Ava, saying, Miss Jerome… but Ava says, they’ll finish this conversation later. Pilar leaves with Chase, and Austin says, lucky for Ava that he was around when the nanny was out to lunch. Ava cracks him across the face, and says, you son of a bitch. You set this whole thing up, didn’t you?

Tomorrow, Portia says, there’s something she and Esme need to discuss; Carly tells Drew that she’ll wait as long as it takes; Spencer punches someone; and Ava asks what the hell Austin has gotten her into.

🍊 There wasn’t too much screaming on The Real Housewives of Orange County tonight, but there was a lot of lecturing on film protocol. Emily took her daughter Annabella, along with Anabella’s portfolio, to a modeling agency. I can see her being a helicopter stage mom. Kinder and gentler, but definitely hovering. The women were going on a shrews girls trip to Montana dude ranch, so everyone had to shop for Westernwear and cowboy boots. Emily wasn’t able to go, since she tested positive for covid, although she felt no symptoms. Heather was feeling empty nest syndrome because Max and Nikki were off to college, and Gina was feeling triggered by Jenn’s infidelity, harping on it at every opportunity. At the ranch, there was a mechanical bull outside in a corral, which I thought was weird. Shannon said she wasn’t getting on it because, vagina. She didn’t elaborate, and Tamra was like, there’s surgery for that, but in Shannon’s interview, she said she had a bony vagina. I hope she’s not putting that on her dating profile. She also said she wasn’t brushing things under rug anymore, and when Tamra toasted to new beginnings, in her interview, Shannon said she was hopeful, but cautious. It felt like the past two and a half years hadn’t existed. Oh, I’m sure it won’t take long to bring it all back. In another weird moment, Shannon dressed up like a saloon proprietress and served drinks. I have no idea if this is a dude ranch thing and planned ahead of time, or just random.

The bulk of the episode revolved around Taylor committing a faux pas or a cardinal sin, depending on your point of view. Since I’m only half-paying attention to this show, I don’t know all the details, but Taylor got a part in some movie. I’m guessing it’s like a Lifetime movie or something ironic like Sharknado. Anyway, one of the actresses dropped out, and Taylor asked if Heather might be interested. This opened up a weird can of worms that crawled all the way to Montana. Heather responded in her usual condescending manner, but not really fully explaining why she couldn’t just walk onto the set and start acting. Taylor’s feelings were hurt, and she looked at Heather’s IMDb, which she didn’t think was all that impressive. It probably isn’t. I think she’s had a lot of guest star roles on sitcoms and series, and done a few of them there Lifetime movies. Earlier, Heather had been talking to Terry about reviving her career, and wondering if her time had passed. Now she was whining about having put her life on hold to have a family. While she stressed it had been worth it, and I believe she loves her family, you’d have thought there were a lot of hardships. Have you seen her house? Anyway, dum-dum Taylor had to say something about Heather’s résumé to Tamra of all pot stirrers. On their first day in Montana, Heather had already lectured Taylor on the hierarchy of the film industry, and how the part wasn’t Taylor’s to offer. After she got wind of the IMDb assessment, it brought on a second lecture, as well as more weeping and wailing about how she’d put her life on hold for her family, and now Taylor was denigrating her career. In Gina’s interview, she said, while Taylor did a stupid thing, Heather was acting like someone took her Oscars away. She was acting like Judi-f***ing-Dench.

Next time, shoveling horsesh*t and driving a tractor.

🧊 Dropping It Like It’s Cold…

While I can’t promise blue skies, if you come back tomorrow, I can promise soap and tea for at least two. Until then, stay safe, stay using the words excuse me instead of just barreling through, and stay away from insider trading. It can be really expensive if you get caught.